SCOTLAND

Future Jobs Fund

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2010,  Official Report, column 552W, on the Future Jobs Fund, which projects the Future Jobs Fund is supporting in Scotland, and how many jobs have been provided through each project.

Ann McKechin: By the end of the eighth bidding round announced on 15 March 2010, the Government have approved 58 Future Jobs Fund bids to create up to 10,328 jobs in Scotland.
	
		
			  Bidding organisation  Number of jobs 
			 Aberdeen City Council 28 
			 Aberdeen Works 32 
			 Aberdeenshire Council 23 
			 Angus Council 34 
			 Angus Council 50 
			 Apex Scotland 30 
			 Argyll and Bute Council Employability Team 50 
			 Argyll and Bute Council Employability Team 30 
			 Argyll Training 35 
			 Barnardo's Scotland 20 
			 Big Issue Scotland 10 
			 City of Edinburgh Council 80 
			 City of Edinburgh Council 57 
			 Clackmannanshire Alliance 77 
			 Coalfield Regeneration Trust 30 
			 Dumfries and Galloway Council 91 
			 Dundee City Council 51 
			 Dundee Partnership 158 
			 East Ayrshire Council 483 
			 East Ayrshire Council 155 
			 East Dunbartonshire Council 60 
			 East Lothian Council 26 
			 Falkirk Council 90 
			 Fife Council 238 
			 Fife Council 122 
			 Glasgow City Council 250 
			 Glasgow City Council 300 
			 Highland Council 203 
			 Inverclyde Council 240 
			 M. I. Technologies 30 
			 Midlothian Council 45 
			 Midlothian Council 108 
			 Moray Council Community Partnership 15 
			 North Ayrshire Council 180 
			 North Lanarkshire Council 1,200 
			 Perth and Kinross Community Planning Partnership 90 
			 Project Scotland 153 
			 Raploch Urban Regeneration Company 35 
			 Real Work Skills Ltd. 10 
			 Renfrewshire Council 203 
			 Scottish Borders Council 51 
			 Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations 330 
			 Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations 1,464 
			 Scottish Council for Voluntary Services 390 
			 Scottish Forestry Commission 210 
			 Scottish Premier League 432 
			 Scottish Wildlife Trust 61 
			 Scottish Wildlife Trusts 400 
			 South Ayrshire Council 57 
			 South Ayrshire Workforce Plus Forum 15 
			 South Lanarkshire Council 1,200 
			 Stirling Council Youth Services 31 
			 The Bambury Regeneration Centre 60 
			 Third Sector Hebrides 165 
			 West Dunbartonshire Council 70 
			 West Lothian Council 30 
			 West Lothian Council 150 
			 Workers' Educational Association 90 
			 Total 10,328

Taxation

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the economic effects in England of the tax proposals set out in paragraphs 4.13 to 4.39 of Scotland's Future in the United Kingdom, Cm 7738.

Ann McKechin: The tax proposals set out in the Government's White Paper "Scotland's Future in the United Kingdom" will deliver real financial accountability to the Scottish Parliament and, once fully implemented, mean that a substantial proportion of the Scottish budget will derive directly from taxes determined and raised in Scotland. At the same time, the proposals safeguard the economic and administrative efficiencies inherent to the unified tax system within the United Kingdom.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Floods: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the Environment Agency have provided to (i) Tewkesbury council and (ii) Gloucestershire county council for flood prevention schemes since the flooding of July 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA provides grants to operating authorities in England to manage the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. DEFRA's grants to the Environment Agency to tackle flooding increased from £499.8 million in 2007-08 to £659 million in 2010-11.
	The Environment Agency has provided Tewkesbury borough council with £75,000 for capital improvement works. £119,000 has been allocated to Tewkesbury borough council for property level flood protection and resilience measures.
	DEFRA has allocated Gloucestershire county council £200,000 for surface water management.

Floods: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the Environment Agency have provided to (i) Tewkesbury council and (ii) Gloucestershire county council for repairs relating to flooding of July 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government made a comprehensive package of over £136 million available to support areas affected by the flooding of summer 2007.
	This included around £19 million provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) through the Bellwin Scheme. Flood-affected local authorities applied for help through the scheme, which provides financial assistance to local authorities dealing with emergencies. Exceptionally, the terms of the scheme were made more generous because of the circumstances of the 2007 floods.
	Through the Bellwin scheme £2.8 million was provided to Gloucestershire county council and £350,000 to Tewkesbury borough council. In addition £950,000 million was provided to the Gloucestershire police authority.
	The other main elements of the £136 million package are:
	Around £41 million from the Department for Transport for repairs to the local highway.
	£30.6 million from CLG, through the Restoration Fund, that we have been able to release through a successful European Union Solidarity Fund bid.
	£18.4 million from CLG for Flood Recovery Grant to support the recovery work of local authorities, and particularly their work with those in greatest and most immediate need. The latest £1 million released on 31 January was allocated to the nine local authorities with the highest number of households still displaced.
	£13.5 million from the Department for Children, School and Families for schools and children's services affected by the floods. A total of 858 schools were damaged in the June floods and those in July.
	Over £11 million from Regional Development Agencies for businesses affected in their regions.
	Over £1.2 million from CLG for local authorities giving council tax discounts, so families do not face council tax bill for homes they could not live in.
	£1 million which could be drawn on as contingency reserve by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for use by Jobcentre Plus to support additional demand for Social Fund Community Care Grants. DWP paid Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans totalling £810,891 to people on qualifying benefits to meet the cost of replacing essential household items.
	£1 million from the Department for Culture Media and Sport to support rural tourism in England through promoting rural destinations and visitor attractions. It will also be used to fund a targeted marketing campaign for the regions of England and businesses such as B and Bs, caravan parks and attractions.
	The Environment Agency has not provided funding to either Tewkesbury borough council or Gloucestershire county council for repairs relating to the 2007 flooding.

Seals: Canada

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed the seal hunt in Canada with the Canadian Government.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State has not held recent discussions with the Canadian Government on the seal hunt in Canada.
	The Government's opposition to the annual Canadian seal hunt is well known and remains unchanged. We have lobbied since 2006 to promote EU wide action and on 23 July 2008, the European Commission proposed an EU wide ban on trade in seal products from a range of species where it cannot be proved that the seals were killed humanely.

Tree Planting

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Forestry Commission to assist in the acquisition and replanting of agricultural land with native species of trees.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Delivery Plan for our Strategy for England's Trees, Woods and Forest produced by the Forestry Commission and Natural England includes the objective to create new woodland in priority areas.
	The English Woodland Grant Scheme administered by the Forestry Commission offers incentives to landowners to encourage them to plant trees. These grants are part of the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13. Under the scheme rules it is not permissible to reimburse costs of land acquisition, but the grants do cover a proportion of the planting costs and the agricultural income foregone. The current target for new woodland creation is 2,200 hectares per year of which 2,000 hectares are expected to be on agricultural land.
	In the 2009 Low Carbon Transition Plan we set out our intention to support a new drive to encourage private funding for woodland creation and options to achieve this are being explored by the Forestry Commission and DEFRA.

Tree Planting

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Forestry Commission to reduce the number of trees planted per acre for new growth.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are not taking any steps to encourage the Forestry Commission or other landowners to reduce the number of trees planted per hectare and there is no reason to do so. The English Woodland Grant Scheme, administered by the Forestry Commission and which supports most new woodland creation, allows for trees to be planted at a range of densities depending on the purpose of the woodland. These include densities as low as 100 trees per hectare for 'special' broadleaves such as poplar, ranging through 1,600 trees per hectare for native woodlands and up to 2,250 trees per hectare for 'standard' woodlands.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2010,  Official Report, column 565W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the latest redesign.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The design costs for the redesign of the website in 2005 were £31,104.54.
	In 2009-10 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned a digital agency to design and create five themed landing pages for its website. This work is essential to bring the current site up to date, by providing better access to content allowing more flexibility and the ability to pull in relevant social media feeds (which the current single homepage cannot support). The total cost for design was £8,383.75.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have not commissioned any designs for the intranet since 2005.

Greater Manchester

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Manchester, Gorton constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department's aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.
	The impact of bodies and policies of my Department on the Manchester, Gorton constituency since 1997 include:
	£316,615 given from Arts Council England to organisations based in Gorton in 2008-09 through the Grants for the Arts programme.
	Digital Switchover has been completed in the Gorton region, and by 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV-the same number that can currently receive analogue.
	£1,416,994 of Exchequer investment to the Gorton constituency provided through Sport England since 2002.
	Over £20 million of national lottery grants made to applications from the constituency since 1995.
	The Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies have awarded £5,694,522 to projects located in the constituency since the 1996/97 financial year. This includes an award made in 2008-09 of £446,140 for an active project to redevelop Levenshulme. United Reformed Church into a multi-purpose community centre.
	£117,483 of English Heritage grant offers to the Gorton constituency in 2008-09.
	The Gorton constituency has also benefitted from other policies and spending whose impact cannot be broken down by constituency. This includes:
	£4 billion of Exchequer funding spent on culture
	More than £5.5 billion invested in sport by the Government and the national lottery since 1997.
	Over 2 million free swims taken in the north-west region since the Free Swimming programme was introduced.
	A 68 per cent. increase in national museum visits from 1998-99 to 2008-09-10 per cent. of which were by adults from lower socioeconomic groups.
	£416.6 million in grants allocated by English Heritage since 1997.
	48 per cent. of buildings on the original 1999 Buildings at Risk Register having their future secured.
	90 per cent. of all pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE or sport per week in 2008 from an estimated 25 per cent. in 2003-04-exceeding our target.

Local Government: Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2010,  Official Report, column 341W, on local government finance, what performance data local authorities regularly submit on libraries and museums to the Museums Libraries and Archives Council.

Margaret Hodge: There is no requirement for local authorities to submit performance data on libraries and museums to the Museums Libraries and Archives Council. The MLA:
	1. Part-fund the collection of local authority data relating to National Indicator Set 9 and 10 (in order to enable libraries and museums to manage their own performance better). Local authority National Indicator Sets are required by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	2. Collects information (on Cultural Strategies, Business Plans, accounts and collecting policies) from all local authorities when they apply to become Accredited museums or Designated collections. The MLA also collect data returns from local authorities with Renaissance funded museums. This does not form part of the wider local authority performance framework.
	3. Advises CIPFA on their annual public library statistics on expenditure, income, staffing and service provision, for all library authorities in England.

Summertime

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the tourism industry on the merits of introducing British Summer Time and Double British Summer Time.

Margaret Hodge: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I have held a number of recent discussions with the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers, and Attractions (BALPPA) and other tourism industry stakeholders about the potential benefits to DCMS sectors, including tourism and sport, of making changes to British Summer Time (BST).
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is the lead policy Department on BST, and the DCMS have raised these issues with BIS for their consideration.

Tourism: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated to the promotion of tourism  (a) in Poole and  (b) nationally in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested on funding to promote tourism in Poole is not held centrally. Responsibility for tourism in the regions was taken over by the regional development agencies (RDAs) in 2003.
	I have therefore asked the chief executive of the South West regional development agency to write to the hon. Member for Poole directly. Copies of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The overall level of public sector investment in tourism from local, regional and national sources will exceed £2 billion in the current spending review period (2008-09 to 2010-11).
	Nationally, funding to promote tourism is directed through VisitBritain and VisitEngland.
	VisitBritain's Grant in Aid since 1997 (including VisitBritain's predecessor bodies -the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council-up to 2002-03) is outlined in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 44.7 
			 1998-99 44.7 
			 1999-2000 47.2 
			 2000-01 47 
			 2001-02 64.1 
			 2002-03 68 
			 2003-04 51.3 
			 2004-05 48.4 
			 2005-06 48.9 
			 2006-07 49.9 
			 2007-08 50.7 
			 2008-09 49.9 
		
	
	The rise in spending between 2001 and 2003 represents the additional funding invested by the Government and the industry to support tourism in response to specific national and international events that occurred in and immediately preceding this period (foot and mouth, 9/11 and SARS).

WALES

Business: Montgomeryshire

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many businesses were registered in Montgomeryshire in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Montgomeryshire has consistently had the second highest number of VAT registered businesses in Wales after Brecon and Radnorshire.
	The number of enterprises registered for VAT at the start of each year in Montgomeryshire is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 4,030 
			 2002 4,035 
			 2003 4,035 
			 2004 4,060 
			 2005 4,050 
			 2006 4,080 
			 2007 4,095 
			 2008 4,085 
		
	
	Figures for 2009 are not available at this time.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Peter Hain: One mobile telephone was recorded as stolen. The replacement cost approximately £40.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Concessions

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing a concessionary bus travel scheme for persons aged  (a) up to 15 years old and  (b) between 16 and 19 years old; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of introducing such a scheme in (i) England, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) Stroud constituency.

Sadiq Khan: The Government have no plans at present to introduce a statutory bus concession for young people. Any extensions to the scope of the current statutory minimum would bring with them associated costs and would require careful consideration of the full impacts, including; the effect on limited spare bus capacity; the potential for distortion of the commercial bus market; and the impact on walking and cycling initiatives.
	Local authorities are best placed to decide on the most appropriate discretionary concessions in their areas; offering far more flexibility than would be the case with a blanket statutory concession.
	The Department for Transport recently commissioned some research on the cost and impact of options for extending the current statutory minimum concessionary travel scheme. Based on this research, the Department estimates that it would cost:
	 ( a) around an extra £1.2 billion per annum to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable 5 to 16-year-olds to travel anytime for free on buses England-wide.
	 (b) around an extra £740 million per annum to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable 14 to 19-year-olds in full-time education to travel anytime for free on buses England-wide.
	The Department does not have any estimates for specific counties or constituencies.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1363W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport last commissioned a new design for its corporate website in 2005:
	www.dft.gov.uk
	The work to develop a new information architecture and associated usability testing cost £39,500 (net). The subsequent work to develop a new visual design around the revised information architecture cost £55,825 (net).

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Chris Mole: Since 2005 the Department has commissioned one new design for its intranet at a cost of £10,210 (ex VAT). The design work was part of a larger technical upgrade.

East Coast Railway Line

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of increasing capacity for  (a) passengers and  (b) freight on the East Coast Main Line, with particular reference to (i) the lengthening of station platforms and (ii) the raising of freight loading gauges.

Chris Mole: The assessment of the merits of increasing capacity on the East Coast Main Line is a matter for Network Rail. The East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Study was published by Network Rail in February 2008 and made recommendations for increasing the route's capacity for both passenger and freight services. This can be found on Network Rail's website at:
	www.networkrail.co.uk

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has been of administering the free prize draw for motorists renewing their vehicle tax online or by telephone to date.

Paul Clark: The administrative costs associated with the free prize draw for motorists renewing their vehicle tax online or by telephone are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 June 2008 to March 2009 13,697.69 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 11,332.00

National Bullying Helpline

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what contacts the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has had with the National Bullying Helpline since 2004; and whether the agency has made any payments to  (a) the National Bullying Helpline and  (b) HR and Diversity Management Limited in that period.

Paul Clark: The Civil Service has a zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has had no contact with the National Bullying Helpline since 2004.
	The Driver and vehicle Licensing Agency has made no payments to the National Bullying Helpline or HR and Diversity Management Limited in that period.

Railways: Chesham

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects construction work on the High Speed Two route in Chesham and Amersham constituency to  (a) commence and  (b) be completed.

Chris Mole: As with any major infrastructure project, there will need to be extensive and detailed consultation, particularly with local communities affected. We will consult on the recommended route this autumn before the finalisation of Government policy and, if the decision is taken to proceed, will introduce a hybrid Bill following further detailed work.
	Construction on the line would not begin until after the completion of Crossrail from 2017, with services on a London to Birmingham line commencing from 2026 at the earliest. Start and finish of works in specific locations would be subject to detailed work by HS2 Ltd. following decisions made after the autumn consultation.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he expects the electric multiple unit trains cascaded from Thameslink stock for services in the North West to be in service by March 2014.

Chris Mole: The cascade of existing trains operating Thameslink services is made possible by the procurement of new vehicles through the Thameslink Programme. The commercial negotiations on the procurement of the new vehicles are ongoing and until these are finalised, it will not be possible to confirm the timing of the resulting cascades.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

BAE Systems: Fraud

David Howarth: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  what the total cost to the Serious Fraud Office was of the recently-settled case against BAE Systems;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the total cost to the Serious Fraud Office of its investigations into BAE Systems to date.

Vera Baird: The SFO has not yet assessed the costs involved since proceedings have not concluded.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years.

Vera Baird: The information requested is as follows:
	 Crown Prosecution Service and Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office
	The number of staff who have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years is 131.
	 The Serious Fraud Office
	In the last 12 months 19 staff had five or more short term absences. The most recent available data before this (2006-07) can be found at the following link:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/Sickness_Absence_2006to2007_tcm6-3302.pdf
	 Treasury Solicitors, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Inspection Services
	Over the three years 2007-09 there have been 27 people who meet the criteria above. This represents less than 3 per cent. of the total workforce.
	 The National Fraud Authority
	The NFA was launched in 2008-09 and no members of staff are recorded as having had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days during this period.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Bearwood Corporate Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission from which  (a) legal firms,  (b) Queen's counsel and  (c) other sources the Electoral Commission sought advice in connection with its investigation into Bearwood Corporate Services; and how much was paid for such advice in each case.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that in addition to legal advice from its in-house Legal Counsel, it also obtained legal advice from Queens counsel, Michael Beloff QC and Andrew Mitchell QC; and from junior barristers, Jane Collier and Sarah Palin. Payments to Queen's counsel amounted to £61,000 and payments to junior counsel amounted to £20,000.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Nurseries

Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the oral answer of 11 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 428-30, on a day nursery, whether the Chairman of the House of Commons Commission decided that the proposals for a day nursery at Bellamy's would not be placed before the Finance and Services Committee.

Nick Harvey: The Commission took the decision in principle on the setting up of a nursery facility at 1 Parliament street on 14 December 2009 with a view to making the facility available in the new Parliament. In view of the time constraint for its implementation, the Commission decided on this occasion not to refer the matter to the Finance and Services Committee.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Paul Goggins: During the 12 month period from March 2009 to February 2010 the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its arm's length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and NDPBs, recorded 12 floppy disks as being lost in transit between Belfast and London. They did not contain any personal or classified information. As the disks were not replaced there was no cost of replacement to the Department.
	No items of departmental property were reported as stolen during this period.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many single living accommodation units for service personnel in Scotland are in each standard for condition.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 12 March 2010
	Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is not assessed for its Standard for Condition, but Graded according to its condition and 'scale', which includes things like the amount of storage and size.
	As at October 2009, the latest date for which figures are available, SLA bed-spaces in Scotland were at the following Grade.
	
		
			  Grade  SLA bed-spaces 
			 1 3,395 
			 2 1,104 
			 3 2,188 
			 4 1,078

Armed Forces: Orthopaedics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have had limbs amputated in the last six months.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 410W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will guarantee the provision of funding at current levels for the Academies programme in the next spending round.

Vernon Coaker: The pre-Budget report announced a real terms increase of 0.7 per cent. for DCSF frontline services including schools for 2011-12 and 2012-13. The remaining DCSF budgets for this period will be finalised in the spending review later this year. Open academies will receive funding increases in line with those for maintained schools and the 0.7 per cent. real terms increase already announced.

Children: Social Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how long each local authority's Director of Children's Services has been in post.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not collect this information.

Departmental Advertising

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible spent on advertising in 2009.

Diana Johnson: It has not been possible to identify the Department's spend on advertising in 2009 without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the Department's spend on advertising in the 2008-09 financial year was £13,891,106.
	Advertising expenditure by non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies in 2009 cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost

Departmental ICT

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its agencies spent on font licensing in the last three years.

Diana Johnson: Since 2007 the Department of Children, Schools and Families has not directly purchased any font licences for related publications work that has been specifically billed.

Departmental Languages

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Diana Johnson: No DCSF Ministers have received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months.
	With regard to civil servants, the Department does not collect this information centrally in the form requested. Information on external training courses attended by employees in the last 12 months and the cost of each course is held locally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Telephone Services

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and which telephone helplines received funding from his Department in 2009;
	(2)  how many telephone calls were  (a) received and  (b) answered by each of the helplines funded by his Department in each month since their commencement;
	(3)  how much funding each of the helplines funded by his Department receives each month.

Diana Johnson: The requested information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which companies were contracted by his Department and its predecessor for the provision of temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff were employed by his Department in each such year; and what the monetary value was of contracts with each such company in each such year.

Diana Johnson: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The Department has used three agencies for the provision of its temporary staff (admin and clerical)-Adecco, Reed Employment and Hays Office Support. The contract with Adecco expired on 31 August 2007, when new contracts were established with Reed and Hays.
	The number of temporary staff employed by the Department is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 July to December 2007 98 
			 January to December 2008 207 
			 January to December 2009 130 
		
	
	We are unable to provide the monetary value of the contracts as this is commercial in confidence.
	For a small number of specialist temporary staff and interim managers the Department has used other agencies but information on this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 1087-8W, on departmental written questions, by what mechanism his Department monitors its responses to parliamentary questions; what its target time is for responses; and how its performance against that target is measured.

Diana Johnson: The Department has recently implemented a new IT system for monitoring its responses to parliamentary questions. This Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the date specified, and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. The new system will enable the Department's performance to be measured against these targets.

Family Proceedings

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects on the welfare of children of the provisions in the Children, Schools and Families Bill on family court proceedings.

Dawn Primarolo: Protecting the welfare of children is our paramount concern. In developing the proposals for the Bill, officials met and sought the views of various stakeholders including 11 Million, the Association of Directors of Children's Services and the Association of Lawyers for Children. My hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice) also met the CAFCASS/NYAS Young People's Board to seek their views on proposals in the Bill.
	The proposals in the Bill are carefully drafted in response to this stakeholder feedback to ensure that children's welfare is protected and sensitive personal information remains confidential. In addition, the measures in the Bill propose to strengthen the current position and give indefinite anonymity to children involved in family proceedings.
	The current proposals before Parliament make clear that it is only possible to alter the treatment of sensitive personal information once an independent review of the operation of the provisions has been carried out, including their impact on the welfare of children.

National Youth Community Service

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the Prime Minister's speech at Britain's Everyday Heroes Book Launch of 24 July 2007, what progress has been made on the launch of the National Youth Community Service for Britain since July 2007.

Diana Johnson: The 44-week volunteering programme vTalent Year was launched in January 2009 involving young people aged 16 to 25 volunteering for approximately 30 hours per week. The first cohort of 358 young people is working across 32 local authority children and young people's services and the second cohort will start in March 2010.
	Volunteers are undertaking a range of placements from nurseries, children and youth centres to youth crime prevention, asylum seekers and substance misuse teams. Nearly 60 per cent. of the volunteers were not in education, employment or training prior to starting the programme.
	In April 2009 the Prime Minister alongside Ministers for the Cabinet Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families also announced a package of measures to support our ambition that, in time, all young people should give at least 50 hours of their time between the ages of 14 and 19 to serve their communities.
	The measures include:
	incorporating community action into learning programmes for 20,000 16 to 18-year-olds as part of Entry to Employment programmes in 2009/10 and again as part of Foundation Learning in 2010/11;
	the creation of five intensive local authority pilots to test approaches to achieving near-universal participation among 14 to 16-year-olds;
	new ways of recognising participation in community action; and
	more support for schools to engage their pupils in this activity, to complement existing local support teams for 16 to 25-year-olds.

Office for Standards in Education: Children's Services and Skills

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the system of inspection operated by Ofsted.

Vernon Coaker: As the Secretary of State stated in Oral Questions on 25 January 2010, stakeholders are in regular contact with Ministers and the Department about a wide range of matters, including Ofsted jinspections.

Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing one-to-one or small group tuition to every child not reaching the expected level at key stage 1 and 2 in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Diana Johnson: Funding for the one-to-one tuition programme was announced as part of the most recent comprehensive spending review (CSR) settlement. There is a total of £468 million funding over the CSR period, including £138 million to support 3.5 per cent. of the key stage 2, key stage 3 (and in National Challenge schools key stage 4) cohort in each of English and maths in 2009-10; and £315 million to support 300,000 pupils in English and 300,000 children in mathematics in 2010-11.
	In 2009-10, pupils who enter key stage 2 behind expectations and/or who are not on course to make two levels of progress will be eligible for one-to-one tuition, but there is no entitlement to this support. Subject to the will of Parliament, from September 2010 one-to-one tuition will be guaranteed for all children who enter key stage 2 behind national expectations and are not on course to make two levels of progress over the course of the key stage. The funding for 2010-11 is sufficient to cover this guarantee.
	The Every Child Counts and Every Child a Reader programmes in key stage 1 and the Every Child a Writer programme at key stage 2 comprise of both one-to-one tuition and small group work. Taken together, these programmes will have £52.7 million funding in 2009-10, and £94.6 million funding in 2010-11.
	Schools received a personalisation budget of £1.6 billion for the three year period of this CSR, and this funding can be used to provide further small group support.
	No decisions on funding for the one-to-one tuition programme or the Every Child programmes have been taken for 2011-12.

Schools: Fires

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of fires reported in schools in each year since 2005;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of fires in schools.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 26 February 2010
	The latest confirmed figures we have from the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) for England and Wales cover the period 2000 to 2007, and are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			   Number of fires  Total costs  (£ million)  Percentage arson 
			 2000 1,275 45 63 
			 2001 1,529 67 58 
			 2002 1,332 67 55 
			 2003 1,232 n/a 61 
			 2004 1,229 ~52 56 
			 2005 1,102 n/a 44 
			 2006 1,075 n/a 41 
			 2007 825 n/a 42 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	
		
			   Total  Accidental  Deliberate 
			 2003 1,232 478 753 
			 2004 1,229 551 677 
			 2005 1,102 615 487 
			 2006 1,075 639 436 
			 2007 825 480 345 
			  Note: Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2003 Ref: 2008066(2003-2007) .sas 12OCT09  Source: CLG 
		
	
	The costs are rounded to the nearest £1 million and are derived from the CLG's cost of Fire Estimates. They cover property damage and the costs of the fire and rescue services attending the fires. They do not include costs of any fires not attended by the Fire and Rescue Services.

Schools: Standards

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to reduce the  (a) administrative burden on teachers and  (b) number of national performance standards for schools in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: The Department works closely with the Implementation Review Unit (IRU), an independent group of front-line practitioners, to ensure that the bureaucratic and work load implications of both new and existing policies are kept under review, and to a minimum. Most recently, the IRU have been remitted to conduct a review of obstacles to effective delivery of government policies which is due to report late spring. We have also made a number of commitments to the Merits Committee and are managing better the impact of new policies on schools.
	In answer to the second part of the question, since the removal of the key stage 3 national tests the national performance standards for schools have remained constant in the last 12 months.

Secondary Education: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average staff to pupil ratio is in secondary schools in  (a) North East Hertfordshire and  (b) England.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the pupil:adult ratios for local authority maintained secondary schools in North-East Hertfordshire constituency and England, January 2009.
	
		
			  Within school pupil:adult ratio (PAR)( 1)  in local authority maintained secondary schools( 2) , year: January 2009, coverage: North-East Hertfordshire constituency and England 
			   Secondary 
			 England 10.7 
			 North-East Hertfordshire 11 8 
			 (1) The within school PAR is calculated by dividing the total full-time equivalent (FTE) number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of all teachers and support staff employed in schools, excluding administrative and clerical staff.  (2) Excludes city technology colleges and academies.   Source:  School Census.

Teachers: Pay

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) median and  (b) mean salary in (i) nominal and (ii) real terms was of a teacher in a maintained school in each region in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The following tables provide the mean and median salary of teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in cash terms and real terms broken down by each Government office region in England and for Wales, March 1997 to 2008.
	
		
			  Mean and median salary of full-time regular teachers( 1)  in local authority maintained schools( 2 ) in cash terms and real terms( 3 ) broken down b y each Government office region, Y ears: March 1997 to March 2008 ,  Coverage: England and Wales 
			  £ 
			   1997  1998  1999 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			  Government office region  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms 
			 North East 22,500 29,300 22,200 28,900 23,100 29,300 22,900 29,100 24,000 29,800 23,800 29,600 
			 North West 22,600 29,500 22,200 28,900 23,300 29,500 22,900 29,100 24,200 30,000 23,800 29,600 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 22,700 29,600 22,200 28,900 23,300 29,600 22,900 29,100 24,100 30,000 23,800 29,600 
			 East Midlands 22,800 29,700 22,200 28,900 23,500 29,800 22,900 29,100 24,300 30,200 23,800 29,600 
			 West Midlands 22,700 29,500 22,200 28,900 23,300 29,600 22,900 29,100 24,200 30,100 23,800 29,600 
			 East of England 22,800 29,700 22,200 28,900 23,400 29,800 22,900 29,100 24,300 30,200 23,800 29,600 
			 London 24,500 31,900 24,800 32,400 25,200 31,900 25,000 31,800 26,200 32,600 26,000 32,300 
			 South East 22,700 29,500 22,200 28,900 23,300 29,600 22,900 29,100 24,200 30,000 23,800 29,600 
			 South West 22,700 29,600 22,200 28,900 23,300 29,600 22,900 29,100 24,200 30,100 23,800 29,600 
			  
			 Wales 22,600 29,500 22,200 28,900 23,200 29,500 22,900 29,100 24,100 29,900 23,800 29,600 
			  
			 England and Wales 22,900 29,800 22,200 29,000 23,500 29,900 22,900 29,100 24,400 30,400 23,800 29,600 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   2000  2001  2002 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			  Government office region  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms 
			 North East 25,000 30,400 24,600 30,000 26,900 32,300 27,000 32,400 28,200 33,200 28,500 33,500 
			 North West 25,200 30,700 24,600 30,000 27,100 32,600 27,400 33,000 28,400 33,400 28,500 33,500 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 25,100 30,600 24,600 30,000 27,000 32,500 27,000 32,400 28,400 33,400 28,500 33,500 
			 East Midlands 25,200 30,700 24,600 30,000 27,100 32,600 27,300 32,900 28,300 33,300 28,500 33,500 
			 West Midlands 25,100 30,700 24,600 30,000 27,000 32,500 27,000 32,400 28,300 33,400 28,500 33,500 
			 East of England 25,200 30,800 24,600 30,000 27,100 32,600 27,000 32,400 28,600 33,700 28,500 33,500 
			 London 27,200 33,200 26,900 32,800 29,100 35,000 28,700 34,600 31,400 37,000 31,000 36,400 
			 South East 25,100 30,600 24,600 30,000 26,800 32,300 26,600 32,000 28,200 33,200 28,000 32,900 
			 South West 25,100 30,600 24,600 30,000 26,900 32,400 27,400 33,000 28,100 33,100 28,500 33,500 
			  
			 Wales 25,100 30,600 24,600 30,000 27,100 32,600 27,400 33,000 28,400 33,400 28,500 33,500 
			  
			 England and Wales 25,400 31,000 24,600 30,000 27,200 32,800 27,400 33,000 28,700 33,800 28,500 33,500 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			  Government office region  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms 
			 North East 29,800 34,000 29,500 33,600 31,200 34,600 31,400 34,800 32,400 35,000 32,100 34,700 
			 North West 30,100 34,300 30,500 34,800 31,300 34,800 31,400 34,800 32,500 35,100 32,300 34,900 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 30,100 34,300 30,100 34,300 31,300 34,700 31,400 34,800 32,400 34,900 32,100 34,700 
			 East Midlands 30,100 34,400 30,500 34,800 31,100 34,500 31,400 34,800 32,100 34,600 32,100 34,700 
			 West Midlands 30,200 34,400 30,500 34,800 31,300 34,700 31,400 34,800 32,400 35,000 32,700 35,300 
			 East of England 30,400 34,700 30,500 34,800 31,500 34,900 31,400 34,800 32,600 35,200 32,200 34,700 
			 London 33,300 37,900 32,800 37,400 35,300 39,100 34,400 38,100 36,300 39,200 35,500 38,400 
			 South East 30,000 34,200 29,500 33,600 31,200 34,600 31,100 34,500 32,300 34,900 32,100 34,700 
			 South West 29,800 34,000 29,500 33,600 31,000 34,300 31,400 34,800 32,000 34,600 32,100 34,700 
			  
			 Wales 30,100 34,400 30,500 34,800 31,300 34,700 31,400 34,800 32,700 35,300 32,800 35,400 
			  
			 England and Wales 30,500 34,700 30,500 34,800 31,700 35,200 31,400 34,800 32,900 35,500 32,700 35,300 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006  2007( 4)  2008( 4) 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			  Government office region  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms  Cash terms  Real terms 
			 North East 33,500 35,400 33,100 35,100 34,700 35,700 34,600 35,600 35,600 35,600 35,400 35,400 
			 North West 33,600 35,600 33,200 35,200 34,700 35,700 33,900 34,900 35,600 35,600 35,400 35,400 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 33,300 35,300 33,100 35,100 34,400 35,400 33,900 34,900 35,200 35,200 34,300 34,300 
			 East Midlands 33,200 35,200 33,100 35,100 34,200 35,200 33,400 34,400 35,100 35,100 34,300 34,300 
			 West Midlands 33,300 35,300 33,100 35,100 34,400 35,400 34,400 35,400 35,500 35,500 35,300 35,300 
			 East of England 33,600 35,600 33,100 35,100 34,500 35,500 33,900 34,900 35,400 35,400 34,900 34,900 
			 London 37,500 39,700 36,300 38,500 38,600 39,700 37,400 38,500 39,700 39,700 38,500 38,500 
			 South East 33,300 35,300 32,900 34,800 34,300 35,300 33,500 34,400 35,100 35,100 34,300 34,300 
			 South West 33,200 35,200 33,100 35,100 34,300 35,300 33,900 34,900 35,200 35,200 34,300 34,300 
			  
			 Wales 33,700 35,700 33,700 35,700 34,700 35,700 34,400 35,400 35,700 35,700 35,200 35,200 
			  
			 England and Wales 33,900 35,900 33,500 35,500 35,000 36,000 34,400 35,400 35,900 35,900 35,400 35,400 
			 (1) Teachers of all grades including school leadership. (2) Excludes CTCs and academies (3) Real terms figures calculated at 2007-08 prices using 4 January 2010 GDP deflators. (4) Provisional.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £100  Source: Database of Teacher Records

Teachers: Science

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of schools which were assessed as  (a) inadequate,  (b) satisfactory and  (c) outstanding by Ofsted in each of the last five years do not have any teachers with degree level qualifications in (i) physics, (ii) chemistry, (iii) biology and (iv) another science subject.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not available centrally.

Teachers: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the system for the monitoring and appraisal of teacher performance.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 15 March 2010
	 Revised regulations and guidance on performance management for teachers and head teachers in England were published in October 2006 and came into force from 1 September 2007. The new arrangements provide for more transparent and consistent assessments of teacher performance, and provide a framework for planning continuing professional development and other support teachers need to do their jobs effectively and improve their professional practice.
	The first performance management plans for teachers were completed by 31 October 2007 and for head teachers by 31 December 2007 so it is still early days, but evidence we have indicates schools are complying with the new arrangements. We are embarking on a specific piece of research which will be conducted by National Foundation for Educational Research to review, amongst other things, how performance management arrangements are working.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much emergency funding his Department is providing to  (a) Niger and  (b) Chad to alleviate the current food shortages.

Douglas Alexander: On 4 March the Department for International Development (DFID) announced a £15 million package of assistance for Niger and Chad. A press release giving full details is available on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Press-releases/

Africa: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has contributed to  (a) Niger and  (b) Chad (i) in each sector and (ii) via each implementing partner in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The amount of bilateral aid delivered by the Department for International Development (DFID), in each sector, in Niger and Chad, is available on the DFID website, at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2009/
	Information on implementing partners is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much funding the UK's partner bilateral and multilateral agencies plan to contribute to the West Africa Humanitarian Response Fund;
	(2)  how the West Africa Humanitarian Response Fund will be administered;
	(3)  how much funding his Department plans to allocate to each partner non-governmental organisation of the West Africa Humanitarian Response Fund.

Douglas Alexander: Details of the West Africa Humanitarian Response Fund are published on the Department for International Development's (DFID's) project database, which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/

Democratic Republic of Congo: Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the steps taken by the Democratic Republic of Congo towards validation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; and if he will make it his policy to support the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in its efforts to  (a) achieve validation and  (b) ensure effective implementation of these initiatives.

Gareth Thomas: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is making good progress towards validation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The formal validation process is underway and the Government of the DRC expect to meet the outstanding benchmarks for validation by June 2010.
	The Department for International Development's (DFID's) staff in Kinshasa are involved in regular dialogue with the Government of the DRC and the international community to promote progress with EITI. DFID is currently preparing a joint mining sector reform project with the World Bank, which will provide long-term support to EITI implementation in the DRC.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 877W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 806W, on departmental internet.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has commissioned one intranet (internal website) design since 2005 at a cost of £1,850. This redesign was necessary to accompany an upgrade of the content management system.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Michael Foster: Items recorded lost or stolen from the Department for International Development (DFID) during the financial year 2008-09 and the estimated cost of replacing those items are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Lost or stolen item  Number  Cost (£) 
			 Stolen satellite phone and calls 1 766.66 
			 Stolen camera 1 160 
			 Stolen office passes 2 2.30 plus VAT each 
			 Stolen computer bag 1 Unknown 
			 Laptops 3 Approximately 800 each

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the operations of British companies in Ethiopia; and if he will make it his policy to seek to ensure that the operation in Ethiopia of British enterprises which are wholly commercial does not disadvantage the operation of organisations in receipt of assistance from his Department.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold specific information on the operations of British companies in Ethiopia, though our office in Addis Ababa has periodic contact with particular companies on matters such as private sector development in Ethiopia.
	DFID does not monitor the activities of British companies in Ethiopia or elsewhere overseas. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) leads on the operations of British companies overseas. Where issues arise in relation to the operations of companies overseas, the UK position is to encourage companies to observe national laws and standards.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Convictions

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for being drunk and disorderly there were in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for being drunk and disorderly within Thames Valley area in England and Wales from 1997 to 2008 can be viewed in the following table.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for being drunk and disorderly. The number of PNDs issued for drunk and disorderly from 2004 to 2008 can be viewed in the attached table. PNDs were introduced to all police force areas in 2004.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn 2010.
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty at all courts and penalty notice for disorder (PNDs) issued for being drunk and disorderly related offences within Thames Valley area from 1997 to 2008( 1, 2, 3) 
			   1997  199S  1999  200  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Found guilty 1045 1214 1097 911 821 772 853 700 265 253 227 204 
			 Penalty notice for disorder - - - - - - - 403 332 228 363 362 
			 (1) Data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Being found drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises. Licensing Act 1872 Sec 12. Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour. Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec.91. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by CJEA-Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Ministry of Justice-Our Ref: IOS 142-10

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take in the next six months to protect the Jewish community from anti-Semitic attacks; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The Government take attacks on the Jewish community very seriously and provide a co-ordinated and continual response.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) National Community Tension Team (NCTT) carries out community impact assessments and identifies particular Jewish communities for reassurance activity. The NCTT also coordinates a national operation to ensure security and reassure Jewish communities during High Holy Days.
	The Community Safety Trust (CST) was a recipient of funding from the 2009-10 Hate Crime section of the Victims Fund to allow them to improve both their reporting of anti-Semitic incidents and the support provided to victims. In addition, in London, the Metropolitan Police's Operation Rainbow Team, the uniformed policing response to counter-terrorism, has been working with the CST on the security of Jewish buildings.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of antisocial behaviour were reported to the police in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 March 2010,  Official Report, column 446W.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued by courts in York since the introduction of such orders; and how many people who were issued with such orders were proceeded against for breaching them.

Alan Campbell: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available from 1 April 1999. Between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 2007 (latest currently available) a total of 147 ASBOs were issued at all courts in the North Yorkshire Criminal Justice System (CJS) area.
	Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on ASBO breaches held on the Court Proceedings Database only counts those occasions where the breach was proven in court to have occurred and are available for ASBOs issued from 1 June 2000. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in the North Yorkshire CJS area subsequently proven in court to have been breached at least once between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2007 (latest currently available) is 81.
	Data on ASBOs issued and breached collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not compiled below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.

Crime Prevention: Small Businesses

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to design security systems and ensure safe environments for small retailers and traders.

Alan Campbell: Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended) requires all local authorities to exercise their functions with due regard to their likely effect on crime and disorder. The prevention of crime and the enhancement of community safety, including that of small retailers and traders, are therefore matters that a local planning authority should consider when exercising its functions under the Town and Country Planning legislation. All police forces have specialist crime prevention design advisors who can provide architects, developers and planners with advice on using design to help minimise risk of crime for the whole community.
	In October of last year I wrote to the chairs of all Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) highlighting the importance of working closely with businesses when developing their annual strategic assessments to make communities safer. These are a requirement for all CSPs and provide an opportunity to identify a better understanding of crime and the solutions which are effective.
	To encourage them to develop their working relationship with local businesses, I drew their attention to the guidance produced by the then Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Home Office:
	http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/business/partnershipsknow.pdf
	This is designed to give businesses and their local partnership practical advice on reducing crime including how to work better together.
	I also took this opportunity to draw their attention to the Home Office's 'Securing your Business' online self assessment tool:
	http://secureyourbusiness.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	which allows business users to assess what simple steps they might take to reduce the risk of crime, including store design and security systems.
	We are currently distributing the Small Retailers Capital Grants Fund which is designed to help fight crime and is being allocated to around 1,000 small retailers in 50 priority areas across England and Wales. The grants are being used for a variety of purposes including: purchasing security equipment for individual retailers including CCTV, infrared security cameras, security shutters and rollers, safes, alarms, anti-fraud equipment such as UV markers to detect counterfeit notes and anti-graffiti paint.

Crime: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were reported to North Yorkshire Police in each year since 1980.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is given in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire, 1980-97 
			   Number 
			 1980 21,699 
			 1981 25,700 
			 1982 29,611 
			 1983 28,796 
			 1984 31,638 
			 1985 35,427 
			 1986 35,968 
			 1987 37,494 
			 1988 34,686 
			 1989 35,774 
			 1990 46,252 
			 1991 51,471 
			 1992 54,816 
			 1993 57,967 
			 1994 62,153 
			 1995 63,539 
			 1996 56,919 
			 1997 50,252 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire,  1998-99 to 2001-0 2( 1, 2) 
			   Number 
			 1998-99 55,309 
			 1999-2000 53,554 
			 2000-01 51,532 
			 2001-02 59,125 
			 (1) The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997.  (2) The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire, 2002-03 to 2008-09( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 67,239 
			 2003-04 71,473 
			 2004-05 61,615 
			 2005-06 58,850 
			 2006-07 54,526 
			 2007-08 49,944 
			 2008-09 48,563 
			 (1) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crimes of Violence: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes took place on Merseyside in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The term 'violent crime' is no longer used. Data are supplied for violence against the person offences. In 2008-09, there were 19,015 violence against the person offences recorded by police in Merseyside. In total, there were 903,442 violence against the person offences recorded by police in England and Wales in 2008-09. For information, these data are published in 'Crime in England and Wales 2008-09' and are shown in Table 7.03 at the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109chap7new.xls

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Phil Woolas: For personal and business travel to benign areas, Home Office Agency staff are referred to the FCO website for general travel advice. We have some internal guidance tailored to Home Office needs which is issued to staff on request. This document is protectively marked and cannot be released for national security reasons. Where travel on Home Office business involves staff visiting non-benign and/or volatile high threat areas, specific advice would be provided on a case by case basis.
	NDPBs are not covered by the centrally held guidance and make their own arrangements.

Detention Centres: Glasgow

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been allocated to the Alternatives to Detention pilot in Glasgow in 2007 to 2010; and how much funding has allocated to the pilot for the next three financial years.

Phil Woolas: The Family Returns pilot project started in June 2009. The UK Border Agency paid actual start up costs in 2009 of £63,343.62. The first financial year for the project is 2009-10 with the annual running costs being met through the current dispersal contract that UK Border Agency has with Glasgow city council. Therefore, there is no additional funding allocated for the next three financial years. The project is due to run until 2012 but will be reviewed in 2010.
	The cost of the Social Work Services provided by Glasgow City Council is met by the Scottish Government as social services is a devolved matter and the funding relates to two social workers and one social care worker.

Detention Centres: Glasgow

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many families are included in the Alternatives to Detention pilot being run in Glasgow; and whether there are plans to increase the number.

Phil Woolas: The Project is for families only and will accommodate four to five families at any one time. At present there are five families participating in the scheme and there are no current plans to increase the size of the project which is monitored to assess how effective it is and whether any changes or improvements could or should be made. Upon its conclusion an independent evaluation will be conducted and the findings will be published.

Detention Centres: Glasgow

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) families,  (b) individuals,  (c) children aged under 18,  (d) children aged under 16 and  (e) children aged under 10 have taken part in the Alternatives to Detention pilot in Glasgow.

Phil Woolas: To date  (a) nine families have taken part in this project involving  (b) a total of 36 individuals. These families consisted of:  (c) five children aged 16 to 18 years,  (d) seven aged 10 to under 16 years and 14 children under 10 years.

DNA: Databases

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who have not been convicted of an offence have particulars of their DNA recorded on the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 11 March 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 9 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 908-09W.

Domestic Violence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the British Crime Survey takes into account in its methodology the nature of domestic violence abusers when gathering information on domestic violence offences; and whether he has considered the merits of any other method of collecting such information.

Alan Campbell: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is carried out in respondents' own homes. It is recognised that respondents may not wish to disclose being victim of domestic abuse in a face-to-face interview, especially if the abuser is present at the time of interview. For that reason, the BCS includes a self-completion module on domestic abuse in which respondents may answer questions in private. It is likely that there remains a degree of under-reporting of the level of such abuse but trends will be unaffected as this methodology has been applied consistently over time. The Home Office also commissions ad-hoc social research projects to explore the nature of domestic violence and also to inform the development and evaluation of policy and practice as and when is required.
	Copies of reports can be found online on the Home Office publication website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/

Drugs: Crime

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of drug-related offences there were in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Data collected centrally on recorded crime do not identify whether offences are drug related. The recorded crime statistics do include the number of specific drug offences recorded by the police and the available information is given in the tables.
	Statistics for Jarrow constituency are not available centrally and figures for South Tyneside relate to the South Tyneside Community Safety Partnership area.
	The increase in recorded drug offences in recent years has been largely associated with the increased use of police powers to issue cannabis warnings.
	
		
			  Table 1: Drug offences recorded by the police ,  1997( 1) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  1997 
			 South Tyneside CSP n/a 
			 North East Region 1,076 
			 England and Wales 23,153 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Trafficking in controlled drugs only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Drug offences recorded by the police ,  1998-99 to 2001-02( 1,2) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 South Tyneside CSP n/a n/a 383 509 
			 North East Region 6,442 6,460 6,424 7,230 
			 England and Wales 135,945 121,866 113,458 121,393 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. (2) The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Drug offences recorded by the police ,  2002-03 to 2008-09( 1) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 South Tyneside CSP 690 672 692 739 665 680 648 
			 North East Region 9,014 7,987 7,149 8,280 8,447 8,195 9,129 
			 England and Wales(2) 143,320 143,511 145,837 178,479 194,233 229,881 243,406 
			 (1) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (2) Includes British Transport Police from 2002-03 onwards.

Police: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers there were in Birmingham in each year since 1997 and  (b) police community support officers there were in Birmingham in each year since 2002.

David Hanson: The available data are provided in the tables.
	Police personnel statistics are not collected at the requested level. Data are collected at basic command unit level (which is equivalent to operational command units in west midlands). Data have been provided for the west midlands operational command units covering the Birmingham area (D1-D2, E1-E3 and F1-F3).
	These and other related data are published annually as a supplementary part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Police officer and police community support officer strength, basic command units covering the Birmingham area( 1) , as at 31 March( 2,)( )( 3) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005( 4) 
			  West midlands  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO 
			 D1 340 n/a 346 n/a 358 n/a 378 8 
			 D2 347 n/a 342 n/a 356 n/a 360 23 
			 D3 379 n/a 398 n/a 395 n/a 403 0 
			 E1 344 n/a 334 n/a 334 n/a 343 4 
			 E2 323 n/a 323 n/a 320 n/a 318 10 
			 E3 286 n/a 295 n/a 292 n/a 296 8 
			 F1 369 n/a 389 n/a 398 n/a 389 24 
			 F2 302 n/a 300 n/a 308 n/a 305 12 
			 F3 304 n/a 314 n/a 317 n/a 318 8 
			 Total 2,992 n/a 3,039 n/a 3,077 n/a 3,110 97 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  West midlands  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO 
			 D1 372 10 371 30 381 40 387 50 
			 D2 348 23 343 29 336 34 335 37 
			 D3 399 0 401 25 399 31 418 39 
			 E1 329 4 325 27 342 35 330 37 
			 E2 304 10 306 25 310 28 305 29 
			 E3 290 8 286 26 293 26 314 33 
			 F1 371 27 376 23 384 26 385 26 
			 F2 291 12 297 28 302 31 300 32 
			 F3 308 8 307 25 317 27 333 38 
			 Total 3,013 102 3,012 238 3,065 278 3,106 319 
			 (1) Police personnel data are not collected at the requested level. Data are collected at basic command unit level (which is equivalent to operational command units in west midlands). Data have been provided for the west midlands operational command units covering the Birmingham area (D1-D3, E1-E3 and F1-F3). (2) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number; due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Data by basic command unit are only available from 31 March 2002 for police officers and from 31 March 2007 for police community support officers. (4) Police community support officer data are at 30 June for 2005 and 2006. This was a special collection made until data were included in the main statistical run.

Police: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department provided for  (a) policing and  (b) victim support services in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The information available can be found in the following tables. There is no available breakdown on figures just for Milton Keynes, as it is included in (a) Thames Valley policing figures and (b) Buckinghamshire victim support services figures.
	
		
			  Thames Valley police authority funding 
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 176.0 
			 1998-99(1) 185.8 
			 1999-2000 188.7 
			 2000-01 195.3 
			 2001-02 218.9 
			 2001-02(2) 213.6 
			 2002-03 223.3 
			 2003-04 231.9 
			 2004-05 239.9 
			 2005-06 249.7 
			 2005-06(3) 249.7 
			 2006-07 259.7 
			 2007-08 270.7 
			 2007-08 270.6 
			 2008-09 275.3 
			 2009-10 313.8 
			 (1) For the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) in 1997-98. (2) For the National Crime Squad (NCS) in 2001-02. (3) For pensions and security funding in 2006-07.  Note: 1. These figures comprises the Home Office police grant and certain specific grants and capital provision, and also the Revenue Support grant and National non-domestic rates (both provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government). 2. Figures are not directly comparable across all years because of adjustments to the base line for funding transfers from general grant. 
		
	
	
		
			  Buckinghamshire Victim Support Services funding 
			   Office of Criminal Justice Reform funding for Victim Support (£) 
			 2001-02 201,951 
			 2002-03 204,389 
			 2003-04 205,845 
			 2004-05 408,146 
			 2005-06 408,076 
			 2006-07 408,076 
			 2007-08 448,805 
			 2008-09 510,995 
			  Notes: 1. Figures provided by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. 2. The table above illustrates funding given to Buckinghamshire Victim support. There is no available breakdown on figures for Buckinghamshire before 2001.

Proof of Identity

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds on which major retailers accept the UK CitizenCard as proof of age.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office is aware that the CitizenCard is accepted by a number of major retailers. However, we do not hold specific information on which retailers accept the card and which do not.
	The Government support PASS, which is the national proof-of-age accreditation scheme. PASS sets minimum standards for proof-of-age cards including CitizenCard. The PASS hologram on a card is the hallmark indicating that the card issuer has passed a stringent audit carried out by trading standard officers. PASS cards are easily recognisable both to retailers and young people and provide assurance that the age details on the card are correct.

Theft: Motor Vehicles

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicle-related thefts have been reported in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The available information is for offences recorded by the police and is given in the following tables. Statistics for Jarrow constituency are not available centrally and figures for South Tyneside relate to the South Tyneside Community Safety Partnership area.
	
		
			  Table 1: Vehicle-related thefts recorded by the police ,  1997 
			   Number of offences 
			  Offence  1997 
			  South Tyneside CSP  
			 Theft of a motor vehicle n/a 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 
			   
			  North East Region  
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 24,641 
			 Theft from a vehicle 34,814 
			   
			  England and Wales  
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 407,239 
			 Theft from a vehicle 710,333 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Vehicle-related thefts recorded by the police ,  1998-99 to 2001-02( 1,2) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  South Tyneside CSP 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle n/a 1,008 1,014 743 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 1,585 1,671 1,471 
			  
			  North East Region 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 21,650 18,402 16,307 15,346 
			 Theft from a vehicle 27.524 29,953 27,920 27,113 
			  England and Wales 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 391,807 374,668 310,613 328,115 
			 Theft from a vehicle 685,919 669,232 571,176 655,161 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Vehicle-related thefts recorded by the police ,  2002-03 to 2008-09( 1) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  South Tyneside CSP
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 734 587 507 461 405 366 306 
			 Theft from a vehicle 1,581 1,117 1,069 1,281 947 779 561 
			 
			  North East Region
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 13,872 13,277 10,893 9,783 8,028 7,060 5,878 
			 Theft from a vehicle 28,132 24,378 20,761 20,833 19,183 15,344 13,645 
			 
			  England and Wales( 2)
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 318,507 291,858 242,732 214,182 193.384 170,008 147,342 
			 Theft from a vehicle 663,679 603,256 500,360 507,239 502,651 432,374 396,950 
			 (1) The data in this table takes account of the Introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (2) Includes British Transport Police from 2002-03 onwards.

TREASURY

Income Tax Personal Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last reviewed the levels of the income tax personal allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The 2009 pre-Budget report confirmed that the personal allowance and age-related allowances will remain at their 2009-10 levels for 2010-11, providing a real terms benefit relative to the fall in September's retail price index.

Income Tax

Chris Mullin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the basic rate of income tax; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Income Tax

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those in receipt of  (a) working tax credit only,  (b) child tax credit only and  (c) working tax credit and child tax credit pay (i) standard rate and (ii) higher rate income tax.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Tax Credits received at April 2008  Number of families with taxpayers( 1) , by the highest rate of tax paid by at least one adult in the family  Proportion of families with taxpayers( 1 ) (%) 
			   Basic rate( 2)  Higher rate  Basic rate( 2)  Higher rate( 3) 
			 Working Tax Credit (WTC) 280,000 0 77 0 
			 Child Tax Credits (CTC) 2,470,000 210,000 69 6 
			 CTC and WTC 1,310,000 0 76 0 
			 (1) Income from savings and investments is not included in the tax calculation (2) This includes families that had starting rate income taxpayers (3) This includes families that had basic and higher rate income taxpayers

Economic Growth Forecasts

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on forecasts for economic growth.

Ian Pearson: The Chancellor and Prime Minister have regular discussions on a range of issues, including the prospects for the UK economy.

Government Debt

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on his Department's programme for reducing the level of Government debt; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of such representations.
	The 2009 pre-Budget report set out the Government's plans to ensure the sustainability of the public finances, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act has enshrined these plans in legislation.
	The Chancellor will provide an update in his Budget statement on 24 March.

Fuel Duty

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on motorists of the level of fuel duty.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Chancellor of the Exchequer takes a range of factors into consideration when contemplating rates of excise duty on road fuels. These include fiscal, economic, social and environmental considerations.
	In the medium term, sound public finances are essential in order to protect stability, employment and growth for all UK residents, including motorists.
	It is for this reason that at Budget 2009 the Chancellor announced that fuel duty would increase by 1p per litre in real terms, in April 2010 to 2013. These changes will also help to save 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, by 2013.

Public Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) other ministerial colleagues on the mechanism to determine the level of public expenditure in the next three years.

Liam Byrne: The Chancellor, discusses public expenditure with the Prime Minister on a regular basis.
	The level of public expenditure beyond 2010-11 will be set out as part of the next spending review.
	The Chancellor continues to make clear that the current level of global uncertainty means that it would be risky to undertake a spending review at this time. The timing of the next spending review will be announced in due course.

Public Expenditure

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of expenditure from the public purse in 2008-09 was spent in each constituent part of the UK.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 March 2010
	Table 9.1 of the annual Public Expenditure and Statistical Analyses (PESA), published by the Treasury in June 2009, sets out the total identifiable expenditure on services by country and region for 2008-09:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pesa09_chapter9.pdf
	(Cm7630).

Public Expenditure

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of  (a) tax revenue and  (b) other monies collected by his Department in 2008-09 came from (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 March 2010
	Figures on total tax revenue and other monies disaggregated by country are not available. Information on tax receipts at a UK level is given in table B10 of the pre-Budget report 2009:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr09_annexb.pdf
	(Cm 7747)

Budget Deficit

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the current and future level of the budget deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Chancellor of the Exchequer will provide an update on the Government's fiscal position, including forecasts for the public finances, at Budget.
	The Fiscal Responsibility Act puts a legal obligation on the Government to more than half the deficit over four years and see debt falling by 2015-16.

Interest Rates

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effects on savers of low interest rates.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government seek to support savings and asset ownership for all across the life cycle-from childhood, through working life and into retirement.
	The Government recognise that low interest rates, while benefiting many people with mortgages, have meant that savers have seen their return from savings fall.
	At Budget 2009 the Government announced a package of measures to help savers. This includes an increase in the ISA limits, an increase in the capital disregard for pensioner-related Housing and Council Tax Benefit, and a campaign encouraging 3.4 million beneficiaries of Pension Credit to claim back any tax they may have overpaid on their savings income.

Manufacturing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of the level of activity in the manufacturing sector.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Manufacturing is a key part of the economy, accounting for over 13 per cent. of output and over 50 per cent. of exports. In common with other economies, UK manufacturers were hit hard by the global recession. However, manufacturing output grew by 0.8 per cent. in the last quarter of 2009 and private business surveys suggest that the outlook for manufacturing continues to improve.

Business: Government Assistance

Brian Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have used the Enterprise Investment Scheme in each year since its inception.

Ian Pearson: The estimated number of companies that have used the Enterprise Investment Scheme in each tax-year up to and including 2007-08 is published annually on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/ent_invest_scheme/table8-1.pdf
	The estimates for 2008-09 are scheduled to be published in December 2010.

Child Tax Credit: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families living in the City of York local authority area receive the child element of child tax credit; in respect of how many children that credit is paid; and what the average amount per week each such family received was in the latest period which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The latest information on the number of households benefiting from the child element of child tax credits, the number of children in those families and the average amount received in child and working tax credits, by local authority, is published in the HMRC publication Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Awards 2007-08. Geographical Analyses. This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-payments-0708.pdf
	The same information for 2008-09 will be published shortly.

Domicil

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the number of UK citizens who have permanent residence in the UK that have retained domicile in  (a) Belize,  (b) the Turks and Caicos Islands,  (c) the Cayman Islands and  (d) the Bahamas.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 February 2010
	The information requested is not available, as individuals are not required to declare their domicile to HM Revenue and Customs.

Employee Benefit Trusts

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 161W, on employee benefit trusts, what the evidential basis is for HM Revenue and Customs' experience that employee benefit trusts with only one beneficiary are very uncommon.

Stephen Timms: In HMRC's experience, most companies that use employee benefit trusts (EBT) have more than one employee. This is because an EBT for only one employee would be ineffective for inheritance tax planning purposes.

Inheritance Tax: Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 769W, on inheritance tax: housing, 
	(1)  what the gross increase in cash terms in revenue from inheritance tax as a result of challenges by the Valuation Office Agency was in each year before 2008-09 for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many individual properties had their assessment for inheritance tax increased in 2008-09 as the result of a challenge by the Valuation Office Agency.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Gross increase in Inheritance tax revenues following challenge by the VOA, (£ million) 
			 2008-09 96 
			 2007-08 132 
			 2006-07 105 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of individual properties whose inheritance tax assessment was increased following challenge by the VOA 
			 2008-09 3,589 
			 2007-08 5,529 
			 2006-07 4,935

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many port businesses were physically inspected when the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) began to rate port businesses separately; how many were notified that they were being assessed; and from where the VOA derived the information to make its assessments.

Ian Pearson: Since May 2006, the Valuation Office Agency has inspected over 800 properties (hereditaments) within 55 ports in England and Wales as part of the ports review.
	Information was collected from the statutory port operators, ratepayers and through physical inspection of the property. In cases where the information supported separate assessment, the ratepayer was served a notice informing them of the assessment.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Brian Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small businesses have applied for research and development tax relief in each of the last three years.

Ian Pearson: Annual figures on research and development tax credits are published as National Statistics on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu.htm
	The latest figures show that the numbers of claims under the SME scheme were 4,960 in 2005-06, 5,270 in 2006-07, and 5,930 in 2007-08, and the amounts claimed were £180 million, £200 million and £250 million respectively. Figures for 2008-09 are not yet available.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to improve data security at HM Revenue and Customs premises since 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: HMRC has an extensive programme of work to improve data security. This programme ran throughout 2008-09 and is continuing.
	Key activities has included:
	clarifying accountabilities for data security
	improving physical and technical controls on access to and movement of bulk data, and use of removable media; and
	driving cultural change through mandatory training for all staff, improved guidance and targeted communication.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of staff of HM Revenue and Customs were  (a) on fixed term appointments and  (b) agency workers in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 8 March 2010
	 The information is as follows:
	 (a) The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Fixed term appointments 
			   Headcount  Percentage of HMRC total headcount 
			 April 2007 4,206 4.4 
			 April 2008 2,578 2.8 
			 April 2009 1,327 1.5 
		
	
	 (b) Agency staff numbers are available only at disproportionate cost, as they are not centrally held by HM Revenue and Customs' systems.

Tax Avoidance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he made of the implications for his Department of the judgment of the House of Lords in the case of Furniss v Dawson in 1984; and what estimate he has made of the effect of that judgment on the revenue of the Exchequer.

Stephen Timms: The 1984 Furniss  v. Dawson judgment is one of a line of cases, often referred to as the Ramsay cases. These cases deal with the principle of statutory interpretation and establish the principle that tax legislation must be construed purposively and applied to a realistic view of the transactions that have taken place.
	The tax effect of this line of cases is to apply tax provisions in line with Parliament's intentions, and so collect the tax that is properly due.

Taxation: Pensions

Lee Scott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his policy is on the  (a) removal and  (b) reduction of tax relief on pensions savings for people paying income tax at the 40 per cent. rate;
	(2)  what his policy is on the introduction of a tax on the interest earned on pension fund investments;
	(3)  what his policy is on the introduction of a capital gains tax on pension fund investments;
	(4)  what his policy is on the  (a) reduction and  (b) abolition of tax free lump sums for qualifying pension schemes;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on Exchequer revenues of the  (a) reduction and  (b) abolition of tax free lump sums for qualifying pension schemes in the last 12 months;
	(6)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on Exchequer revenues of the introduction of capital gains tax for pension funds in the last 12 months;
	(7)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on Exchequer revenues of the introduction of taxation on pension fund growth in the last 12 months;
	(8)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on Exchequer revenues of the  (a) removal and  (b) reduction of tax relief on pensions savings for people paying income tax at the 40 per cent. rate in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government introduced a simplified regime for the taxation of pensions with effect from A-day (6 April 2006), and their approach to the taxation of pensions is set out in Finance Act 2004 and in subsequent legislation.
	Budget 2009 announced that from April 2011 tax relief on pension contributions would be restricted for those with incomes of £150,000 and over, and a consultation on the implementation of this restriction was launched at PBR 2009.
	As with all areas of tax, the Government keep the taxation of pensions under review.

Taxation: Self-assessment and PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many errors in the calculation of tax based on  (a) Pay-As-You-Earn and  (b) self assessment were identified in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009; and how many errors in the calculation of all types of tax there were in each such year.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available as data on the numbers of errors in the calculation of tax are not held centrally.

VAT

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints from UK businesses HM Revenue and Customs has received regarding its plans to make submission of value added tax returns online compulsory from April 2010.

Stephen Timms: The Government's plans to make filing online value added tax returns compulsory from April 2010 has been largely welcomed by the professional tax community. HM Revenue and Customs has received 195 complaints, mostly from individual traders, about these plans.

Welfare Tax Credits: Foreigners

Mark Harper: To ask THE Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of  (a) working tax credit and  (b) child tax credit paid to (i) non-British EU nationals resident in the UK, (ii) non-EU nationals resident in the UK, (iii) non-British EU nationals not resident in the UK and (iv) non-EU nationals not resident in the UK to date; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 3 March 2010
	The information requested is not available, as tax credit claimants' nationality is not recorded by HM Revenue and Customs.
	Tax credits are intended to provide support to families with children and to those in low-paid work in the UK. Therefore eligibility for tax credits depends on the claimants being present and ordinarily resident in the UK. Child tax credit claimants must also have a right to reside in the UK.

HEALTH

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 684W, on abortions, for what reasons national health service numbers are not used as a unique patient identifier in respect of abortion operations; and what recent representations he has received on the matter.

Gillian Merron: The national health service number is not used as a unique patient identifier for women accessing abortion services for reasons of confidentiality, enabling women who wish to remain anonymous to do so. This is in accordance with the 'NHS Number programme' implementation guidance issued in December 2008, which confirms that exemptions apply to patients accessing sexual health services. The Government have received some representation on this matter and have no plans to change their position.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis services; what steps his Department is  (a) taking and  (b) plans to take to encourage primary care trusts to commission services in line with this assessment in the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department has not made any specific assessment of the effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis services.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts as commissioners of health care services to ensure that their populations have access to the services that reflect their needs, priorities and aspirations and that the design and provision of services is evidence based.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the training provided to GPs in respect of rheumatoid arthritis; what funding his Department is providing to support this training; when he anticipates the educational material to be provided by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: We recognise the importance of training in rheumatoid arthritis. The Government do not specify the content of the general practitioner training curriculum. This is developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Responsibility for approval of the curriculum reset with the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), which is the competent authority for postgraduate medical training in the United Kingdom. PMETB is an independent professional body.
	From 1 April 2010, the content of postgraduate medical training will be the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) following a merge of the two organisations.
	Central funding for postgraduate medical training is provided through Multi-Professional Education and Training (MPET).
	Educational materials are developed by the appropriate professional bodies, such as the Medical Royal Colleges, and those responsible for delivering medical education.
	While it is not practicable or desirable for the Government to prescribe the exact training that any individual doctor will receive we are, of course, aware of the need to ensure perceived areas of weakness in training curricula are addressed. For that reason, we are liaising with the Regulators and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges about how best to ensure curricula do meet requirements.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of progress towards meeting the 18-week waiting time target for access to rheumatoid arthritis services; what assessment he has made of the effect of the waiting time target on the provision of rheumatology services; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Latest figures, for December 2009, show that 98 per cent. of non-admitted rheumatology patients and 99 per cent. of admitted rheumatology patients started their treatment within 18 weeks of referral. Rheumatology is the treatment function category into which most rheumatoid arthritis patients will fall.
	The 18 weeks waiting time standard has significantly improved access to consultant-led treatment-including patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Implementing the 18-week standard has driven earlier diagnosis and treatment of new patients-which is of particular benefit for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Bridlington Hospital: Bus Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the shuttle bus service between Bridlington and Scarborough hospitals and funded by the NHS has ceased operating; and when he expects the service to resume.

Ann Keen: The Information requested is not held centrally. However, the right hon. Member may wish to approach the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire healthcare NHS trust direct for this information.

Cancer: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009,  Official Report, column 242W, on cancer: drugs, 
	(1)  what period elapsed from the licensing of each drug referred to in the answer to the  (a) draft and  (b) final National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance being available;
	(2)  what cancer drugs have been appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) since the answer; whether each was  (a) recommended and  (b) not recommended for NHS use; how long the appraisal of each took; whether the pharmaceutical company supplying each such drug offered to make it available through a patient access scheme; and how long it has taken from the licensing of each drug to draft of final NICE guidance being made available.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Topic  Single Technology Appraisal (STA) or Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA)  Date of market authorisation for relevant indication  Start of NICE appraisal( 1)  Date of draft NICE guidance  Date of final NICE guidance  Recommendation  Patient Access Scheme considered by NICE 
			 Yondelis (trabectedin) for soft tissue sarcoma STA September 2007 September 2008 June 2009 February 2010 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 
			 Hycamtin (topotecan) for small cell lung cancer MTA From January 2006 August 2008 July 2009 November 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 
			 Hycamtin (topotecan) for Cervical Cancer (recurrent) STA December 2006 December 2008 June 2009 October 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 
			 Sutent (sunitinib) for Gastrointestinal stromal tumours STA July 2006 August 2008 March 2009 September 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for the first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer STA April 2008 October 2008 April 2009 September 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for Colorectal Cancer (first line) STA July 2008 January 2008 September 2008 August 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 
			 Avastin (bevacizumab) (first-line), Nexavar (sorafenib) (first-line and second-line), Sutent (sunitinib) (second-line) and Torisel (temsirolimus) (first-line) for the treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma MTA Nexavar-June 2006 September 2007(2) August 2008 August 2009 Not recommended Nexavar-yes 
			   Avastin-January 2008 Avastin- yes 
			   Sutent-July 2006 Sutent-yes 
			   Torisel-November 2007 Torisel-no 
			 
			 Mabthera (rituximab) for first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia STA February 2009 September 2008 March 2009 July 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for Head and Neck Cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) STA January 2009 September 2008 January 2009 June 2009 Not recommended No 
			 
			 Revlimid (lenalidomide) for Multiple Myeloma STA June 2007 April 2008 October 2008 June 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 
			 Sutent (sunitinib) for the first-line treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma MTA July 2006 September 2007(2) August 2008 March 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 
			 Tarceva (erlotinib) for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer STA September 2005 March 2006 November 2006 November 2008 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 (1) The date NICE commenced work on the appraisal. NICE will also have carried out scoping work for the appraisal before this date. (2 )This is the date on which the MTA began for Avastin (bevacizumab) (first-line), Nexavar (sorafenib) (first-line and second-line), Sutent (sunitinib) (first and second-line) and Torisel (temsirolimus) (first-line) for the treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The MTA was subsequently split and Sutent (sunitinib) for the first-line treatment of renal cell carcinoma was considered in a separate STA.

Care Homes: Inspections

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy is of the Care Quality Commission on assessment of a care home after a change in its rating.

Mike O'Brien: The following information has been supplied by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	A rating is only awarded, or can only be changed, following a 'key inspection'.
	The CQC takes a proportionate approach to the frequency of its key inspections. A change to a lower rating, will result in an increase in the frequency of key inspections, and conversely a change to a higher rating will result in a decrease.

Carers: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been received in Birmingham  (a) to enable breaks for carers and  (b) from the New Deal for Carers programme in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: The Government introduced the Carers' Grant in 1999 in recognition of the support carers need for breaks and other services.
	The amount of funding that Birmingham has received from the Carers' Grant to support carers, including breaks, is in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount of grant (£ million ) 
			 1999-2000 0.45 
			 2000-01 1.22 
			 2001-02 1.70 
			 2002-03 2.05 
			 2003-04 2.57 
			 2004-05 3.20 
			 2005-06 4.70 
			 2006-07 4.79 
			 2007-08 4.83 
			 2008-09 5.88 
			 2009-10 6.27 
			 2010-11 6.64 
		
	
	Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services, published in January 2006 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), offered a new deal for carers through a range of measures, including a commitment to update the 1999 Carers' Strategy.
	The revised strategy, published in 2008, commits £255 million over the current spending review period, 2008-11, to improve support for carers. This includes £50 million in 2009-10 and £100 million in 2010-11 which is being given to primary care trusts (PCTs) within their baseline allocations to provide breaks for carers. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities set out in the NHS Operating Framework.
	The new deal for carers also included a commitment to provide training for carers. Through the Caring with Confidence programme, £150,000 will have been spent on training carers in Birmingham by 31 March 2010.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated any research on a relationship between myalgic encephalomyelitis and blood-related disorders.

Gillian Merron: The Department has, to date, not commissioned or evaluated any research. However, others, such as the Medical Research Council, the Health Protection Agency and the UK Blood Services, are currently considering these issues. I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 942W.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Staffordshire

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to ensure that Staffordshire has adequate specialist clinics for the treatment of myelgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome;
	(2)  what funding he plans to provide to specialist clinics in Staffordshire for the treatment of myelgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ann Keen: This information is not available. It is for local primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide what treatments to fund, and the Department does not dictate centrally how PCTs spend their budgets. We believe it is right that PCTs should decide how to spend their budgets based on the specific health care needs of their local populations.

Dementia: Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 224-25W, on dementia: drugs, what the salary is for the post of National Clinical Director for Dementia.

Phil Hope: The application pack for the post, which is a secondment, made clear that the salary for 2.5 days a week would be between £75,383 and £95,333 (or equivalent to Agenda for Change band 9), and that secondees who fell outside this pay range would be expected to come across on their current salary.
	It is not the practice of the Department to reveal personal salary details for its staff unless they are covered in the remuneration report of the annual resource accounts which covers staff at board level. In common with other Departments and agencies, the Department will shortly publish details on its website of staff earning over £150,000. In this case, the National Clinical Director for Dementia does not take up post until 1 April 2010 and his salary is yet to be determined.

Dementia: Research

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 225W, on dementia: drugs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the first meeting of the ministerial group on dementia research held on 24 February 2010; what the outcomes were of that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the ministerial advisory group on dementia research held on 24 February 2010 has been placed in the Library.
	The group has identified five broad workstreams. These will be taken forward by designated sub-groups led by one or more members of the group, drawing in additional advice and expertise as necessary.
	The worksteam topics are:
	agreeing priority topics for dementia research, in each of the three main areas of cause, cure and care;
	finding ways of raising public awareness of, and support for, dementia research and increasing public engagement in dementia research;
	increasing the success of dementia research in securing available funding and support and identifying ways to improve the capacity and capability of the dementia research workforce;
	developing better ways of working between researchers and between public and private sectors; and identifying further ways to 'bust bureaucracy' where there are issues specific to dementia research; and
	improving the 'translation' of research into better treatment and care.
	Each workstream sub-group will examine its specific area in detail, identifying the major issues and suggesting practical ways to address them.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 866W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Phil Hope: The Department relaunched its corporate website:
	www.dh.gov.uk
	on 10 February 2008 following a project to redesign the site and restructure the content. The total cost of the redesign and implementation project was £513,000. This includes user research, visual and template design, content review and restructure, technical build, test and deployment, and testing.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Phil Hope: The Department has an intranet site. Since 2005 there have been two redesigns commissioned.
	In 2006 the design costs were £43,000.
	In 2008-2009 the design costs were £26,576.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Phil Hope: The Department does not distinguish between the two categories 'lost' and 'stolen' as these categories are not, and have not historically been, recorded separately.
	From 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 the following items of departmental property were reported lost or stolen with an estimated replacement cost of £38,610.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Mobile phones 18 
			 Laptops 34 
			 BlackBerry hand held devices 22 
			 Projectors 2 
			 Storage devices (memory sticks etc.) 2 
			 Other equipment 23 
			 Total losses 101

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of illness or other ailments in children attributable to the operation of electromagnetic fields have been reported since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
	The Department has supported research over the last decade in relation to concerns that there might be adverse effects from the low levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields from power lines, mobile phones and telecommunications masts. In the course of this work, the scientific and medical communities have become aware of people who report an unusual sensitivity to electric or magnetic fields. A range of symptoms was noted by the Health Protection Agency's (HPA's) Radiation Protection Division in its publication, 'Mobile Phone and Health 2004', which is available on the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1254510624582?p=1219908766891
	The HPA also published a study entitled 'Definition, Epidemiology and Management of Electrical Sensitivity', which is also available on the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1247816558210?p=1197637096018
	The HPA is undertaking a programme of research on wireless local area networks, including wi-fi use in schools. Information about these studies is available on the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/1199451940308/
	The Health Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation keep scientific reports on health effects from electromagnetic fields under review.

Eyesight: Testing

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to retain the age of eligibility for free NHS sight tests for women at 60 or over when the female state pension age rises above 60.

Ann Keen: The 2009 pre-Budget report announced that the age at which pensioner benefits can be received will increase in line with the female state pension age. The Government are working to give effect to these proposals. Changes to eligibility for national health service-funded sight tests for people aged 60 or over would require primary legislation.

Fertility

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) classifies  (a) unfertilised eggs and  (b) immature human eggs that have not been used to create an embryo as eggs that have failed to fertilise; and what guidance has been issued to the HFEA on the application of the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Acts 1990 and 2008 to the classification of eggs that have failed to fertilise.

Gillian Merron: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that eggs which are classified as failed to fertilise are those eggs which have had sperm applied to them but subsequently did not fertilise. The Government have not given any guidance to the HFEA on how it should classify any egg that does not fertilise.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2010,  Official Report, column 350W, on health services: reciprocal arrangements, by what means his Department made the Isle of Man government aware of its position on 9 March 2010.

Gillian Merron: Officials at the Department contacted, by phone, officials from the Isle of Man Government. Further e-mail advice was sent on 15 March 2010.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will meet the co-chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, the right hon. Member for Torfaen, to discuss the contents of his recent letter setting out the terms of the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly requesting deferment of the decision to revoke the reciprocal health agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  on what date his officials informed him of the letter from the co-chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, the right hon. Member for Torfaen, setting out the terms of the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly requesting deferment of the decision to revoke the reciprocal health agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department received the letter on 3 March 2010 and will reply in due course.

Home Care Services: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury of 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 751W, on home care services, how much he estimates the cost of providing free personal home care will be, including costs for those who already get this care for free, in 2010-11.

Mike O'Brien: The projected costs of implementing the Personal Care at Home Bill are set out in the impact assessment, which has already been placed in the Library. These do not include costs for those who already receive free home care; this will not represent an additional expense to councils with adult social services responsibilities, as they are already funding such care.

Hypertension

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of operations in NHS hospitals which were postponed consequent on the detection of high blood pressure in the patient in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Influenza: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the number of pensioners from York who have received influenza injections in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: Data on the number of people who have received influenza vaccine during the influenza season (winter) 2009-10 are available nationally and at the strategic health authority and the primary care trust (PCT) levels. No data are available for individual towns or cities.
	It is estimated that in the North Yorkshire and York PCT up to the end of January 2010, 75,717 people aged 65 years and older have received the seasonal influenza vaccine and about 36,000 people aged 65 years and older have received swine influenza vaccine. Only those 65 and over in a risk group were eligible for the swine flu vaccine.

Injuries: Dangerous Dogs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated at  (a) an accident and emergency department and  (b) an urgent care centre following an attack by a dangerous dog in the last 12 months.

Mike O'Brien: Information is not collected centrally in the format requested. For such information as is available, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 8 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 702-03W.

Medical Records: Publicity

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department had spent on leafleting campaigns relating to the Summary Care Record in  (a) London and  (b) England on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: Between 1 January and 28 February 2010, 6,754,089 information packs were produced and sent to patients as part of the summary care record (SCR) public information programme, at a total cost of £1,734,450. Of these, 1,113,228 information packs were sent to people in London, at a cost of £285,877, and 5,640,861 were sent to patients in other parts of England, at a cost of £1,448,573.
	In the period from the start of the early adopter phase of the SCR programme in March 2007, to 31 December 2009, information packs were produced and sent to 2,336,774 patients in England. During this time mailing and postage costs were met by local national health service organisations and information is not held centrally on the costs involved. The unit cost of producing these information packs was 13.59 per pack.
	A key reason for moving to regional public information programmes from 1 January 2010 was the improved value for money achieved by producing and distributing materials on a larger scale.

Medical Treatments: Waiting Lists

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for all treatments was in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  In - patient waiting times - commissioner based 
			  As at March each year  Median wait (weeks) 
			 1997 13.2 
			 1998 14.9 
			 1999 12.9 
			 2000 12.9 
			 2001 12.6 
			 2002 12.7 
			 2003 11.9 
			 2004 10.2 
			 2005 8.5 
			 2006 7.3 
			 2007 6.2 
			 2008 4.5 
			 2009 4.0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures shown relate to March each year, and are a snapshot of the median wait of patients waiting at the end of each period. The latest data available are for January 2010, and this figure shows the median wait of those still waiting at the end of that month of 5.0 weeks. March 2010 data will be published on 30 April 2010 2. It should be noted that median waits in the winter months historically tend to be higher than other months. We would therefore expect the median at March 2010 to be lower than five weeks as shown in January 2010.  Source:  Department, of Health, QF01, MMRCOM

Medicine: Overseas Students

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to review its restrictions on access to post-graduate medical education by non-EEA graduates.

Ann Keen: The Department undertook a consultation exercise about managing medical migration last year and there was strong support for the restrictions on access to post-graduate medical education by non-European economic area graduates and there has been no change in circumstance since then that indicates a review is required.

NHS: Foreign Workers

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  by what mechanisms adherence to the NHS Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Healthcare Workers is  (a) monitored and  (b) enforced;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on  (a) the number of African health workers employed in the NHS and  (b) the number of British private recruitment agencies recruiting health workers from Africa of the NHS Code of Practice on International Recruitment since 2001.

Ann Keen: There is no centrally held information on the country of origin of health-workers, this is not captured in the national health service census.
	The total number of British private recruitment agencies registered with the NHS Code of Practice on International Recruitment at January 2010 was 531. It is not known how many agencies have recruited specifically from Africa since 2001.
	NHS Employers is responsible for promotion, advice and guidance on international recruitment.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what contractual negotiations his Department is engaged in with  (a) Computer Sciences Corporation and  (b) BT in relation to the National Programme for IT; what timetable has been set for the completion of these negotiations; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the monetary value of the current contracts held by these companies of those negotiations;
	(2)  on what dates his Department has met  (a) BT and  (b) Computer Sciences Corporation to discuss the National Programme for IT since the beginning of January 2010; what timetable he has set for future meetings with those companies; what items were in the agenda of each of those meetings; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each of those meetings.

Mike O'Brien: The Department routinely engages with both the Computer Sciences Corporation and BT about a range of operational and commercial matters in relation to the national information technology programme contracts, and has continued to do so on numerous occasions since the beginning of January 2010. One objective of current discussions is to explore how to achieve a part of the national programme's £600 millions contribution to the Government-wide plans to find efficiency savings and better value for money on major projects. These particular discussions are expected to be concluded by the end of March 2010.
	There is no fixed timetable for future meetings, which will continue to occur as required.
	Formal minutes of meetings since the beginning of January have not been taken.

Ovarian Cancer

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of women whose symptoms were initially misdiagnosed by their GP and who went on to develop terminal ovarian cancer since 2005.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. The Office for National Statistics is responsible for compiling and publishing mortality data, but the information concerning misdiagnosis does not form part of that work.
	From a recent independent study on the awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, we know that awareness of ovarian cancer is low. Through the work of the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we are making the public and health professionals more aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, including ovarian cancer.
	On 29 September 2009, the Prime Minister announced plans to offer all patients in England access to tests which can confirm or exclude cancer within one week. Under the new plans, where the general practitioner (GP) thinks that the risk of cancer does not justify a two-week urgent referral to see a specialist, but there are symptoms which require investigation, the GP will be able to refer for the appropriate tests to be carried out within one week.
	Our aim is to start rolling this out from 2011-12 over a five-year period, starting in the first two years with ovarian, lung and colorectal cancer, where people will be able to expect access to the relevant diagnostics and test results within two weeks.

Palliative Care

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people with  (a) terminal cancer and  (b) another terminal condition who receive care through (i) the healthcare system, (ii) the social care system and (iii) the social care and healthcare systems;
	(2)  whether patients with  (a) terminal cancer and  (b) another terminal condition are automatically eligible for assistance through the social care system.

Ann Keen: Information concerning the number and proportion of people with terminal cancer or another terminal condition who receive care through the healthcare system, the social care system, or the social care and healthcare systems, is not collected centrally.
	Patients with terminal cancer or another terminal condition are not automatically eligible for social care assistance on the basis of their diagnosis. Entitlement to assistance is based on an individual's care needs assessment.
	Councils have a duty under section 47(1) of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, to carry out a community care assessment on anyone who appears to be in need of community care services.

Pregnant Women: Drugs

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births to women addicted to  (a) prescription,  (b) non-prescription and  (c) illegal drugs there were in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The data requested are not in the format requested.

Psychiatry: Young People

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which primary care trusts do not employ any child and adolescent psychotherapists;
	(2)  which primary care trusts employ child and adolescent psychotherapists; and how many each employs.

Ann Keen: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Smoking: Health Services

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free Quit Kits the NHS has distributed since the start of the Smokefree scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: As at 7 March 2010, the national health service had distributed 421,420(1) Quit Kits. In addition, 95,000 Quit Kits were distributed through a part-funded arrangement with Asda pharmacies(2). The campaign launched on 26 December 2009.
	(1) These figures refer to Quit Kits ordered as a result of national advertising activity (web, phone, text, banner ads, F2F and coupons from direct mail, door drop and inserts) and sent out via our call centre Callcredit. Please note that these will not be the final audited figures.
	(2) Asda part funded this activity splitting the cost of the production of the quit kits and taking on the full costs of distribution of the kits to all the Asda stores.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Religious Freedom

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports his Department has received on the treatment of religious minorities in Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: Promoting human rights is integral to building a stable democracy in Afghanistan. We condemn all instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief and take every opportunity to urge Afghanistan to implement laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect. This includes full implementation of those norms laid out in the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. We receive regular updates on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, including on the treatment of religious minorities, from organisations such as the UN and non-governmental organisations. We have not received any confirmed reports of mistreatment of religious minorities in Afghanistan. Our embassy in Kabul continues to follow the human rights situation on the ground closely and raise matters of concern with the Afghan Government.

Bangladesh: Internally Displaced Persons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has had discussions with the government of Bangladesh on recent reports of arrests and forced displacements of Rohingya refugees; if he will request that the Government of Bangladesh recognises as refugees those of Rohingya origin who do not have documents; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent reports he has received on action against Rohingya refugees by Bangladesh law enforcement authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are concerned by the recent reports by Medecins Sans Frontieres and Physicians for Human Rights on the situation facing displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh. We have raised the plight of the Rohingyas and their status with the Government of Bangladesh, both bilaterally and in concert with EU partners.
	Officials from our High Commission in Dhaka, including the High Commissioner, have visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas, which are run by UN agencies. We are also supporting the European Commission and UN programmes for Rohingyas through the UK's core funding to the EU and the UN. In 2009, the UK Government also funded a British Council project to train English teachers within the camps.

Burma: Dams

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with the Chinese government on the construction of dams on the Irrawaddy river by the China Power Investment Corporation and Burmese Ministry of Energy; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have discussed Burma with their Chinese counterparts. In recent weeks officials have discussed our broad concerns about the impact of large-scale construction projects on the human rights of the local population. We have not raised the specific issue of the construction of dams on the Irrawaddy River, but are following developments closely and with increasing concern. Our embassy in Rangoon is also supporting work to assess the social and environmental impact of these projects

Burma: Ethnic Groups

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on deportations from Thailand to Burma of ethnic Karen people; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are closely monitoring reports about the possible forced return of Karen refugees to Burma. Our Ambassador to Thailand has raised our concerns with the Thai authorities stressing the importance of adherence to international standards and to Thailand's international obligations. We understand that the Royal Thai Government decided not to deport the 30 families it had originally identified for removal. We are coordinating closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, US and EU partners and will continue to raise the issue with Thai authorities.

Burma: Political Prisoners

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had  (a) at EU level,  (b) with the US administration and  (c) with the Burmese government on the case of Nyi Nyi Aung.

Ivan Lewis: Our embassies in Rangoon and in Washington have discussed the plight of Nyi Nyi Aung and developments in his case with US officials. While we regularly urge the Burmese regime to release all of the more than 2,100 political prisoners currently in detention, we have not raised this specific case directly with the authorities. We would naturally be ready to do so were the US Government to indicate this would be helpful. There has been no formal EU discussion on the case of Nyi Nyi Aung.

Burundi: Politics and Government

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the  (a) treatment of opposition parties in Burundi and  (b) activities of the youth wings affiliated to political parties in Burundi, with particular reference to the (i) National Council for the Defence of Democracy Forces for the Defence of Democracy and (ii) Front for Democracy in Burundi.

Ivan Lewis: Opposition parties in Burundi have been functioning as normal over the past three months in the run-up to the elections due to start in May, including free circulation of politicians in all areas, holding of party congresses, opening of new party offices and putting forward of election candidates. There have been minor scuffles between the Inbonerakure, youth wing of the ruling National Council for Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy and the Young Defenders of Burundian Democracy, youth wing of the Front for Democracy in Burundi. The Minister of Interior has banned all youth wing activity in the province of Kirundo, and has vowed to extend the ban to other provinces in case of further trouble.

Capita

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions Capita Group plc tendered for contracts let by his Department in each of the last five years; how many such tenders were successful; how much his Department paid to Capita Group plc for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2010 Capita Group plc hold with his Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between his Department and Capita Group plc.

Chris Bryant: Capita Group PLC has primarily provided services to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the last five years undertaking and supporting specific recruitment campaigns as well as recruiting individual specialists and other staff to fill specific slots in the organisation both in the UK and overseas.
	The FCO is committed to recruiting a talented and diverse work force, ensuring that the most qualified candidates from the widest range of backgrounds apply. It sometimes outsources specific recruitment campaigns for new entrants, and when specialist knowledge of a specific job market is required. This is more cost effective than running all recruitment campaigns through a larger in-house team and is a model used extensively across Central Government.
	The following amounts were paid to Capita Group PLC by the FCO in the UK in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2005-06 561,738 
			 2006-07 876,185 
			 2007-08 273,439 
			 2008-09 127,294 
			 2009-10 25,527 
		
	
	FCO Services, an Executive Agency of the FCO operating as an independent Trading Fund since 1 April 2008 spent the following amounts with Capita Group PLC:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 118,000 
			 2008-09 187,000 
			 2009-10 561,000 
		
	
	FCO Services acquired Trading Fund Status in April 2008. To be a successful and efficient trading organisation, a different set of skills and underlying processes were required. Temporary skills and resource were therefore brought into the organisation by Capita through a government procurement framework, in order to help set up of new processes and then transfer those skills in house. For example, FCO Services needed to develop its own capability to support critical services around the world in the event of a business continuity incident. As these skill sets were new and not available in-house, a temporary contract was provided through Capita to build up this capability and enable the skill sets and processes to be adapted and transferred in- house. Contracts were also, for example, awarded through Capita to provide specialist sales and marketing resources. FCO Services had no specialist sales people prior to trading fund, but the need to drive forward their wider market sales in order to enable financial benefits to the FCO (e.g. price stabilisation and dividends) meant FCO Services needed the skills these resources provided.
	Prior to 2007-08, FCO Services spend with Capita Group PLC is incorporated in the overall FCO figures.
	Information regarding how many occasions Capita Group PLC tendered for FCO contracts in each of the last five years; how many such tenders were successful; how many contracts which terminate after 2010 Capita Group PLC hold; what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts with Capita Group PLC; and the spend by overseas posts with Capita Group PLC, is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Human Rights

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Colombia on  (a) the arrest,  (b) the imprisonment and  (c) due process in the trial of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran Villegas.

Chris Bryant: We have had no discussions with the Colombian government about the arrest, imprisonment or trial of Professor Villegas. However, we understand that he has been charged with 'rebellion'; we have previously pointed out to the Colombian Government that those charged with crimes such as 'rebellion' should have their legal rights fully respected, including to a timely and fair trial.

Colombia: Human Rights

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Colombia on academic freedom in that country.

Chris Bryant: We have not had any recent discussions with the Colombian Government on this issue. However, we constantly reiterate the need for the human rights of all Colombians to be recognised and protected.

Colombia: Human Rights

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request the government of Colombia to produce the evidence it holds to substantiate the claim that Miguel Angel Beltran Villegas is  (a) a member of the FARC and  (b) the person known as Jaime Cienfuegos.

Chris Bryant: We cannot interfere in the legal process of another country. However, we have previously pointed out to the Colombian Government that those charged with crimes such as 'rebellion' should have their legal rights fully respected, including to a timely and fair trial. Our embassy in Bogota will monitor the proceedings of this case.

Counter-terrorism: International Cooperation

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the international coalition against terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Terrorism is an international problem that requires an international response. Building a coalition is the only effective means by which we will counter it. The Government, therefore, attach great importance to our counter-terrorism work overseas, with both partner Governments and multilateral organisations. Our aim is to share best practice, co-ordinate UK effort bilaterally and multilaterally, ensure we avoid duplication of work and encourage others to take a comprehensive approach to countering the terrorist threat. The response of the international community to the failed Detroit bomb on Christmas Day illustrates the strength and breadth of the coalition against terrorism with January's Yemen meeting convened by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and attended by partners from the region and across the globe, helping to co-ordinate support for the people and Government of Yemen to tackle the threat from al-Qaeda and address its root causes.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Natural Resources

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Support for the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) forms a core part of our work to improve transparency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). My noble Friend, the Minister for Africa, was in the country last month and spoke with Prime Minister Muzito about the need for economic development and the building of conditions which are conducive to business. He saw this as a priority and recognised that there is much work to be done.
	Despite a slow start EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) implementation in the DRC has recently been making considerable progress culminating in the publication of the first report on copper/cobalt and oil. Validation has started and there is reason to hope that the country's efforts will receive a largely positive reception from the International Secretariat in Oslo.
	The Great Lakes Contact Group Taskforce on Mineral Exploitation had its first meeting in Kinshasa on 21 and 22 January 2010 with the Minister and Vice Minister for mines and representatives from the Ministry of Defence, Interior and others, plus non-governmental organisations and Congolese commercial interests/industry attending. A draft text was agreed which included proposals on due diligence, legalisation of trade (Department for International Development Trading for Peace initiative), certification and financial infrastructure. The paper will now be presented to the DRC cabinet and capitals for final approval.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) disciplinary and  (b) capability procedures have been (i) initiated and (ii) completed in his Department in each of the last five years; how much time on average was taken to complete each type of procedure in each such year; how many and what proportion of his Department's staff were subject to each type of procedure in each such year; and how many and what proportion of each type of procedure resulted in the dismissal of the member of staff.

Chris Bryant: The number of disciplinary cases that have been (i) initiated and (ii) completed in each of the last five years in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its agency FCO Services are as follows.
	
		
			   FCO Main  FCO Services 
			   Initiated  Completed  Initiated  Completed 
			 2006 25 25 8 8 
			 2007 21 21 7 7 
			 2008 33 33 5 5 
			 2009 35 35 7 6 
			 2010 11 4 3 3 
		
	
	We do not hold central records of how much time on average was taken to complete the misconduct procedure in each such year; to collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.
	The number of staff who were subject to disciplinary action under the FCO misconduct procedure in each such year and the proportion this represents is as follows.
	
		
			   FCO Main  FCO Services 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2006 25 0.4 8 0.1 
			 2007 18 0.3 7 0.1 
			 2008 30 0.5 5 0.1 
			 2009 33 0.6 7 0.1 
			 2010 11 0.2 3 0.02 
		
	
	There were six (0.1 per cent.) dismissals (combining FCO Main and FCO Services) resulting from misconduct procedure in 2006. As there are less than five dismissals in each of the following four years details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individual and on grounds of confidentiality
	The number of capability (b1-performance) and (b2-sickness absence) cases that have been (i) initiated and (ii) completed in each of the last five years are in the following table.
	
		
			FCO Main  FCO Services 
			Initiated  Completed  Initiated  Completed 
			 b1 2006 11 11 0 0 
			 b1 2007 16 16 0 0 
			 b1 2008 19 19 0 0 
			 b1 2009 22 15 1 1 
			 b1 2010 3 10 0 0 
			 b2 2006 (1)- (1)- 0 0 
			 B2 2007 (1)- (1)- 0 0 
			 b2 2008 (1)- (1)- 13 13 
			 b2 2009 49 28 29 29 
			 b2 2010 8 0 5 5 
			 (1 )No central records held. 
		
	
	We do not hold central records of how much time on average was taken to complete the (b1) performance improvement and/or (b2) sickness absence procedures in each such year; to collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.
	The number of staff who were subject to the (b1) performance improvement procedures and (b2) sickness absence procedures in each such year and the proportion this represents is:
	
		
			FCO Main  FCO Services 
			Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 b1 2006 11 0.2 0 0 
			 b1 2007 16 0.3 0 0 
			 b1 2008 19 0.4 0 0 
			 b1 2009 23 0.4 1 0.01 
			 b1 2010 10 0.2 0 0 
			 b2 2006 (1)- (1)- 0 0 
			 b2 2007 (1)- (1)- 0 0 
			 b2 2008 (1)- (1)- 13 0.2 
			 b2 2009 49 0.9 29 0.1 
			 b2 2010 29 0.5 5 0.1 
			 (1 )No central records held. 
		
	
	As there are fewer than five dismissals in each of the five years, details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individual and on grounds of confidentiality.
	These figures are for UK Based staff only. We do not hold central records for staff employed locally overseas and to obtain them would incur disproportionate costs.
	The figures do not include those who resigned before the procedures were concluded.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 840W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 December 2009, namely, it is not possible to break down the costs for the 2008 redesign because the redesign costs were part of the wider Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) web platform project, which was delivered by Logica. Logica subcontracted elements of the project out (for example, to XM for design, to Alterian for the content management system, to Verizon for hosting). The amount Logica paid subcontractors for the design work is commercially protected and not known to the FCO.
	In October 2009, the FCO redesigned the FCO corporate site:
	www.fco.gov.uk
	The work was completed using in-house resources at no additional cost. The in-house resources cannot be disaggregated from the ongoing cost of maintaining the FCO web platform.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Chris Bryant: FCONet, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s intranet, has had two redesigns since 2005. The first design was commissioned to an external company at a cost of £28,680 and released in February 2008. The second design is being carried out now for release by 31 March 2010 and involves minor changes to refresh some aspects of the design. The design was provided by an internal designer as part of our ongoing commitment to seek value for money and is being applied to the intranet by our standing development team at no additional cost.
	FCONet is the FCO's core internal communications and information tool and recently won an 'Award of Excellence' from Communicators in Business who described the intranet as a definite beacon of best practice.

Departmental Legal Costs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent in  (a) legal fees and  (b) compensation on legal cases concerning remuneration of its employees in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only retains employment litigation records from 2003 onwards. Records show that legal fees on cases concerning remuneration of FCO employees in each year from 2003 to date, were as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 14,983.85 
			 2005 0 
			 2006 17,587.04 
			 2007 3,066.32 
			 2008 14,767.06 
			 2009 0 
		
	
	There are fewer than five legal cases concerning remuneration of FCO employees in each year from 2003 to date, and any compensation paid is subject to a legally binding compromise agreement containing a confidentiality clause. Therefore, in line with Cabinet Office guidance details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individuals and on grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Paper

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) suppliers and  (b) brands of (i) paper and (ii) paper products his Department uses; and what his Department's policy is on the procurement of those materials.

Chris Bryant: Since October 2007, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses a collaborative government framework agreement put in place by the Ministry of Defence for its supplies of paper in the UK. The supplier of the Framework is Office Depot. All A4 photocopy and printer paper purchased by the FCO is made from 100 per cent. recycled materials. A number of more specialised paper products are made from 75 per cent. recycled materials.
	The FCO purchases hygiene paper products by Andrex, Scotts, Wypall and Tork (manufactured by Kimberley Clark and FCA) for its bathrooms, toilets and kitchen facilities in its offices in the UK.
	80 per cent. of the FCO's bespoke print paper products from its in-house print facility are made from 100 per cent. recycled materials.
	FCO Services, an Executive Agency of the FCO that has been operating independently as a Trading Fund since 1 April 2008, also has a framework agreement with Woodway Packaging for the supply of packing materials such as flatpack boxes and corrugated cardboard.
	Information about the suppliers and brands of paper and paper products purchased by our missions overseas is not held centrally and would only be available at disproportionate cost.
	The FCO is committed to operating in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner. All staff in the UK and working in its missions overseas are informed that it is policy to purchase 100 per cent. re-cycled paper. They are also informed that all paper and paper products should be purchased in line with Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affair's Buy Sustainable-Quick Wins guidance.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much  (a) Ministers and  (b) staff of each grade in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies spent on first class travel in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by Meg Munn on 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1188w, namely, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes travel arrangements in the most efficient and cost effective way. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the code of management. As the information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally it would incur disproportionate cost to collate.

Falkland Islands

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: None. We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and surrounding maritime areas. The principle of self determination underlies our position. We are, of course, in regular touch with the US at official level on this and many other issues. The US continues to recognise the UK's administration of the Falkland Islands. Positions are long standing, unchanged and well known.

Falkland Islands

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had in each of the last five years with his Argentine counterpart on sovereignty over the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: None.

Iran: Religious Freedom

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation of Jewish people in Iran since October 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Jews are one of three religious minorities, alongside Christians and Zoroastrians, which are constitutionally permitted to practise their religious faith in Iran. In reality however, they cannot hold positions in the judiciary, police and security forces, limiting the role they are permitted to play in public life. Although Jews have enjoyed a relative degree of freedom to practise their religion, including the use of Hebrew for religious instruction, they face various limitations on their rights to travel and to communicate with Jewish communities outside Iran, especially in Israel.
	Iran's anti-Israel policy continues to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among Iran's Jews, and this fear has been propagated by President Ahmadinejad's repeated denial of the Holocaust, anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli propaganda in the media. The Government have raised concerns over the treatment of Iran's religious minorities on many occasions with the Iranian authorities, calling on the Iranian authorities to uphold their international legal undertakings to safeguard religious freedom and to stop discrimination and persecution on the grounds of religion.

Iraq: Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iraq on the situation in Camp Ashraf; and if he will take steps to ensure that residents of Camp Ashraf are not driven from Iraq.

Ivan Lewis: We have discussed the situation at Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Human Rights Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Iraqi Government's Ashraf Committee. I met the Iraqi Foreign Minister in Baghdad in December 2009 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents of Camp Ashraf in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. In addition we discuss the issue with the UN, US, and the EU.
	The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but has given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution, or where substantial grounds exist to believe they would be tortured. The Iraqi Human Rights Minister confirmed to our ambassador on 27 January 2010 that the Government of Iraq would deal with the residents of the camp with respect for their human rights in co-operation with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. We believe it is in the interests of the residents to respect and accept the decision made by the Government of Iraq, and to cooperate peacefully with the Iraqi authorities.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 20 January 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Mr. M Kirkham.

David Miliband: I replied to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 14 March 2010.

Morocco: International Assistance

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many volunteer workers at the Village of Hope/Village de l'Espérance at Ain Leuh ordered to leave by the government of Morocco are  (a) United Kingdom and  (b) European Union citizens; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: 10 UK citizens and seven other European Union citizens have been expelled from Morocco.
	Foreign Office officials in London met with the Moroccan Chargé d'Affaires on 10 March to express the UK's concerns. Foreign Office officials in Rabat have asked the Moroccan authorities for a full briefing on the matter.

Morocco: International Assistance

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for future EU-Morocco relations of the decision of the government of Morocco to expel volunteer workers from the Village of Hope/Village de l'Espérance at Ain Leuh on the charge of proselytizing the Kafala community and orphaned children in the province of Ifrant; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No assessment has yet been made of the implications for future EU-Morocco relations. Respect for human rights principles, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an essential element of the EU's association agreement with Morocco.
	Foreign Office officials in London met with the Moroccan chargé d'affaires on 10 March to express the UK's concerns. Foreign Office officials in Rabat have asked the Moroccan authorities for a full briefing on the matter.

Morocco: International Assistance

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Morocco on its decision to expel all foreign volunteers, including EU citizens, from the Village of Hope/Village de l'Espérance at Ain Leuh; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this with his Moroccan counterparts.
	Foreign Office officials in London met with the Moroccan chargé d'affaires on 10 March to express the UK's concerns. Foreign Office officials in Rabat have asked the Moroccan authorities for a full briefing on the matter.

Morocco: Orphans

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will undertake an investigation into the treatment of British staff at the Christian orphanage in Fez.

Ivan Lewis: Our embassy in Morocco continues to seek further information about the treatment of British staff at the Christian orphanage in Morocco and has asked the Moroccan authorities for a full briefing on the matter.
	We have provided consular assistance to those British citizens deported from Morocco.

North Korea: Prisoners

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of people held in North Korean labour camps.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, column 956W which provides the most recent information I have.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Gaza.

Ivan Lewis: The situation in Gaza is very serious, and it has the potential to derail any peace effort, but Hamas cannot be allowed to block peace negotiations. We will continue to work both to improve the situation in Gaza and to move peace talks forward.
	We have made available £26.8 million for the relief operation and are pressing Israel to open the crossings more fully to ensure the people of Gaza receive the humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials they need.
	We are extremely concerned by reports that Hamas has moved violently against its political opponents and those deemed to be collaborators with Israeli forces. The UK calls for Hamas to halt such acts along with its terrorist attacks against southern Israel.

Repatriation: Finance

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used to decide whether a country receives funding from the Returns and Reintegration Fund; what role the  (a) Department for International Development and  (b) UK Border Agency play in the management of the fund; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The overall aim of the Returns and Reintegration Fund (RRF) is to increase significantly the number of foreign national prisoners (FNP) and failed asylum seekers (FAS) who return to their countries of origin and to ensure their effective reintegration into their home communities. Funding is therefore allocated to countries where we can run projects that will bring about an increase in the rate of return of FAS and FNPs.
	The Returns and Reintegration Fund is managed by a cross-Government senior official steering group, which is accountable to Ministers. Senior officials from the Department for International Development and UK Border Agency are members of that steering group.

Repatriation: Finance

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding  (a) his Department,  (b) the Department for International Development and  (c) the UK Border Agency has provided for the Returns and Reintegration Fund in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; whether any such funding is classified as development assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided £2.5 million to the Returns and Reintegration Fund (RRF) in 2008-09. There will be no further direct financial contribution to the fund from the FCO in 2009-10, but the Department supports the RRF through staffing and support throughout its global network. The Department for International Development provided £5 million to the RRF in 2008-09 and £11.5 million in 2009-10. UK Border Agency provided £4 million to the RRF in 2008-09 and £2.5 million in 2009-10.
	Only one RRF project in Jamaica currently to the value of approximately £1.5 million is classified as development assistance. Money transferred to the RRF from the Department for International Development is separate to the Department's Official Development Assistance eligible budget.

South Africa: Football

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with Ministerial colleagues steps to raise levels of awareness of people travelling to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa of HIV/AIDS.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our high commission in Pretoria are working with a wide range of stakeholders to provide advice for British fans travelling to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, including through the Know Before You Go campaign, working with associated partners, and through FCO Travel Advice. Our official World Cup travel safety campaign Be On the Ball will reinforce important safety messages, including on HIV and health, regularly in the run up to the World Cup, using a variety of communication methods.
	We are already providing advice and tips through the website
	www.fco.gov.uk/worldcup
	which we will be regularly updating in the period leading up to the World Cup. This includes a page dedicated to the issue of HIV and AIDS.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with its US counterpart on allegations of war crimes during the military conflict in northern Sri Lanka in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hold regular discussions with US officials on the need for a credible process to address reports of violations of international humanitarian law by both sides during the conflict in Sri Lanka. We believe this could play an important role towards genuine national reconciliation.

Terrorism: Detainees

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the hon. Member for Walsall North of 10 March 2010,  Official Report, column 294, on what date the Government made representations to the US administration on the use of torture of detainees suspected of involvement in terrorism.

Ivan Lewis: The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) 2005 report, The Handling of Detainees by UK intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq sets out the actions taken by UK officials and Ministers in response to concerns about the treatment of detainees in US custody. The report shows representations were made to the US authorities from June 2002. Most of the specific incidents described in the Committee's Report were followed up with the US authorities, either in theatre or through intelligence and diplomatic channels, including at ministerial level.

Thailand: Children

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to seek to secure the accession of Thailand to the Hague Convention on international child abduction; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Thailand acceded to the 1980 Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction on 14 August 2002. The convention is not however in force between the United Kingdom and Thailand. Before entering into force with a country that accedes to the convention we need to be satisfied that the country has put in place the necessary systems to support its operation. To date we have not received sufficient information in order to be satisfied that Thailand has done so.

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in how many instances the Government has opted into a proposed measure presented to the Council of Ministers pursuant to Title V of Part Three of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union within three months of its presentation to the Council in circumstances when the UK has not opted into the proposal beforehand.

Chris Bryant: To date the Government have opted in to one new proposal pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
	Four opt-in decisions have been made since the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009. In the case of the amended Asylum Procedures Directive, the amended Asylum Qualifications Directive, and the Succession and Wills regulation the Government took the decision not to opt in. In the case of the fourth proposal for a Directive on Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings, the Government informed the Commission of its decision to opt in on 8 March.
	In the case of the interim EU-US SWIFT agreement, the European Parliament voted against the proposal before the UK was required to exercise its opt-in. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury has written to Parliament explaining these circumstances in more detail.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on  (a) the decision to close land borders with Morocco since 1994 and  (b) the effects of such closure on regional co-operation on (i) security and (ii) counter-terrorism initiatives; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I have not had any specific discussion with my Algerian counterpart regarding the 1994 closure of land borders between Algeria and Morocco. However, we do have regular dialogue with the Algerian authorities on regional co-operation, security of the region and counter terrorism activities. These issues were last raised during the UK/Algeria ministerial dialogue meeting held in London on 2 March, which I co-chaired with Abdelkader Messahel, the Algerian Minister Delegate for Maghreb and African Affairs.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on  (a) Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps in Algeria and  (b) proposals to undertake a census in such camps.

Ivan Lewis: Officials from our embassy in Rabat recently discussed the situation of refugees in the Tindouf camps with representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in February. British officials also meet with UNHCR representatives as part of their visits programme to the disputed territory of Western Sahara and the refugee camps. There has been no discussion with UNHCR about undertaking a census of the populations in the camps during these meetings.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the powers the Moroccan government has offered to devolve to Western Sahara in the framework of its autonomy initiative as submitted to the United Nations Secretary General on 11 April 2007.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a copy of the proposal Morocco submitted to the UN Secretary-General in April 2007, which was noted in UN Security Council Resolution 1754 (2007) as a serious and credible effort. The UK continues to support the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Ambassador Christopher Ross, to build confidence between the parties and find a negotiated political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on major infrastructure projects which have been undertaken by Morocco in Western Sahara to modernise the region and improve the standard of living of the local population.

Ivan Lewis: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have had briefings from Moroccan officials responsible for development programmes in Western Sahara. These take place in the context of our programme of visits to the disputed territory; the most recent of these visits being December 2009.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Ivan Lewis: Hard-liners in Zimbabwe continue to obstruct implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). This month President Mugabe reallocated some ministerial portfolios unilaterally. Human rights abuses and farm seizures continue. The media, electoral and human rights commissions on which the GPA signatories reiterated their agreement in December are not yet operational.
	Southern and South African diplomacy in support of reform is ongoing. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear during President Zuma's visit to the UK on 3 to 5 March 2010, we continue to support President Zuma's efforts to broker reforms leading to free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what volume of carbon dioxide emissions has been recorded in the UK on an environmental accounts basis in each year since 1990.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what volume carbon dioxide emissions has been recorded in the UK on an environmental accounts basis in each year since 1990 (320331).
	Estimates of air emissions, including carbon dioxide, are published annually by ONS as part of the Environmental Accounts.
	The ONS Environmental Accounts measure greenhouse gas emissions on a UK resident basis, in order to be comparable with National Accounts economic data. Therefore, they include emissions generated by UK residents in the UK and emissions from UK residents' transport and travel activities abroad. They exclude emissions generated by non-residents' transport and travel in the UK.
	As such, these data are on a different basis from estimates published by the Department for Energy and Climate Change under the UK's Kyoto Protocol obligations. The Kyoto Protocol basis covers emissions from UK territory only and excludes emissions from international aviation and shipping.
	The most recent publication was on 12 June 2009 and statistics on carbon dioxide emissions for the period 1990-2007 are available on the National Statistics website at the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D5695.xls
	The table in the annex presents the weight of carbon dioxide emissions created between 1990 and 2007 on a UK Environmental Accounts basis.
	
		
			  Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions between 1990 and 2007 
			  Year  Thousands of tonnes 
			 1990 626,765 
			 1991 634,897 
			 1992 619,478 
			 1993 607,200 
			 1994 602,065 
			 1995 595,001 
			 1996 622,792 
			 1997 601,665 
			 1998 607,730 
			 1999 597,966 
			 2000 609,416 
			 2001 625,779 
			 2002 609,875 
			 2003 624,421 
			 2004 631,084 
			 2005 632,180 
			 2006 622,375 
			 2007 613,000 
			  Source: AEA Energy and Environment, Office for National Statistics

Carbon Emissions: Housing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the merits of withdrawing subsidies from suppliers of Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme products in circumstances in which their products are deemed to be dominant in the market.

Joan Ruddock: The supplier obligation (now termed the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) has been set over three year cycles precisely to allow Government to reflect on its successes and to evolve the scheme so that it only pulls through the most energy efficient products with the most potential to provide for household sector carbon emissions reductions. The measures eligible for each phase are subject to full public consultation. The consultation on the April 2011 to December 2012 extension of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, concluding on 14 March 2010, does though specifically ask whether Government should introduce up front sunset clauses for products when they reach a certain level of market penetration.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent research his Department has undertaken into the  (a) cost-effectiveness of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme and  (b) effectiveness of the administration of that scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: An independent assessment is commissioned at the end of each three year phase of the Supplier Obligation (now termed the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target), building on the cost-benefit assessment undertaken and published at the launch of each scheme. Independent analysis of the three year supplier obligation scheme ending March 2008 showed it to have been extremely cost effective in delivery-that for every £1 added onto GB household bills to pay for the obligation, benefits equate to an average saving of £9 per household bill over the lifetime of the measures. Equally, the present supplier obligation, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, is believed to be highly cost-effective, with expected annual benefits (net of costs) of around £649 million for the lifetime of the measures, with around £228 benefits per tonne of carbon dioxide saved in the traded sector and £153 benefits per tonne of CO2 saved in the non-traded sector.

Departmental Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of each full-page advertisement taken out by his Department in a national newspaper in  (a) October and  (b) November 2009.

Joan Ruddock: We have not taken out full page advertisements for the Act on CO2 campaign in October and November 2009 except in newspaper supplements (mainly due to their format size). See the following table.
	
		
			  Act on CO 2  campaign-Full page newspaper adverts (including supplements), October to November 2009-planned booking costs only 
			  Publication  Size  Gross cost per insertion (£)  Number of insertions 
			  Times Magazine Page Clr 6,000 2 
			  Sunday Times Magazine Page Clr 15,000 1 
			  Daily Telegraph Magazine Page Clr 7,500 2 
			  Sunday Telegraph Magazine Page Clr 3,800 2 
			  Guardian Magazine Page Clr 3,500 2 
			  Observer Magazine Page Clr 3,500 2 
			  Independent Magazine Page Clr 2,800 2 
			  Independent on Sunday-Magazine Page Clr 2,500 2 
			  Mail on Sunday-You Page Clr 15,000 1 
			  Sunday Express-S Magazine Page Clr 4,500 1 
			  Note: All rates subject to negotiation and availability at time of booking.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 903W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has commissioned only one design for its website since inception. The design is that used by the Department's official corporate website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/
	which was launched on 23 February 2009. The cost of the design work was £8,435.00.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since its inception; and what the cost was of each such design.

Joan Ruddock: The Department does not have an internal website other than its intranet.
	The Department has commissioned one design for its intranet since inception. The cost of the design was £2,185.00

Departmental Marketing

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department and agencies have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to the  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaign to date.

Joan Ruddock: There has been no expenditure on advertising, marketing or public relations and publicity on either the 'Real Help Now' or the 'Building Britain's Future' campaign by the Department of Energy and Climate Change or its agencies.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many full-time equivalent staff of each grade are employed by his Department to assist special advisers.

Joan Ruddock: One full-time equivalent executive officer and one full-time equivalent administrative officer assist special advisers in my Department.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) Ministers and  (b) staff of each grade in his Department spent on first class travel in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: During the financial year 2009-10 from 1 April 2009 to 31 January 2010 the Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent £152,502.53 on first class rail travel. No first class air travel was undertaken during this period. A breakdown of data for Ministers and officials by grade can be provided only by incurring disproportionate costs.

Energy: Billing

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effect on domestic fuel bills of the Renewable Heat Incentive in each of the next five years.

David Kidney: holding answer 10 March 2010
	The Government published a consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive on 1 February which remains open until 26 April and we invite stakeholders to respond with their views about the design of the incentive scheme.
	As set out in the consultation, Government are looking at options of how best to fund the Renewable Heat Incentive and we will make a further announcement at Budget 2010.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to require energy suppliers to account for expenditure on meeting their carbon emissions reduction targets by reporting savings achieved as tonnes of carbon saved against expenditure in respect of each tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Government agree that improving the transparency of the costs falling to suppliers from meeting their supplier obligation and how they pass these costs onto consumers is critical. The Government's 'Warm Homes, Greener Homes' strategy published in early March set out the importance of greater transparency in any post 2013 energy company obligation, including around cost information. We continue to develop the detail of this arrangement, and will pursue new powers as necessary.

Fossil Fuels

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he made of the level of fossil fuel dependency in the latest year for which figures are available; and what information he holds for benchmarking purposes on the level of fossil fuel dependency of other G8 countries.

David Kidney: Fossil fuel dependency is measured as the proportion of total primary energy supply met by coal, oil and gas. In 2008 the UK had a dependency rate of 91.5 per cent.
	International comparisons for benchmarking purposes are published as indicator E5.5 in DECC's Energy Sector Indicators. Data for G8 countries are shown in the following table, with data sourced from the IEA. Due to different adjustments being made by the IEA and the use of net calorific values, a slightly different estimate is produced for the UK.
	
		
			  Fossil fuel dependency in 2008 
			   Percentage 
			 Canada 75 
			 France 51 
			 Germany 81 
			 Italy 90 
			 Japan 83 
			 Russia(1) 89 
			 UK 90 
			 US 85 
			 (1) Data for Russia are for 2007

Greater Manchester

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Manchester, Gorton constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has implemented a large number of policies to address energy security, emissions reductions, low carbon economic growth and fuel poverty. Some of the key achievements are set out as follows, along with information on the number of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in Manchester, Gorton constituency. It would be disproportionately costly to provide statistical information on all the impact of all the policies to the level of detail requested, but statistical information covering energy and climate change is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/statistics.aspx
	 Key achievements
	The UK is on track to cut emissions by nearly twice our Kyoto target (22 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12 compared to the target of 12.5 per cent. set out under the Kyoto agreement).
	The Climate Change Act in 2008 set a target of at least 80 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. Our first three carbon budgets legally bind the UK to a cut in greenhouse gases of 34 per cent. by 2018-22 against a 1990 baseline. In 2009, the UK's Low Carbon Transition Plan set out the long-term vision for climate change and energy and showing how we will meet the carbon budgets set out in the Climate Change Act.
	In 2009, my Department published National Policy Statements on energy infrastructure which will lead to faster and fairer planning decisions and a diverse low carbon energy mix. An ambitious new framework for clean coal will also drive development of carbon capture and storage.
	The UK's energy market is the most competitive in the EU and has attracted over £97 billion of investment from 1997 to 2008 (at 2005 prices). The UK also has the greatest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world.
	In March 2010 the Government's household energy management strategy-Warm Homes, Greener Homes-set out plans for meeting the target of a reduction of 29 per cent. in (non-traded) carbon emissions in the household sector. The strategy will make it easier for people to take action, removing the deterrent of upfront costs by, for example, paving the way for 'pay as you save' energy efficiency loans.
	Government will be providing more financial assistance to help people generate their own heat and electricity in low carbon ways, where appropriate, through 'clean energy cashback' schemes.
	 Warm Front scheme: Manchester, Gorton constituency
	DECC's Warm Front scheme provides grants for households on qualifying income and disability-related benefits to install a range of insulation and heating measures in their homes. The number of households assisted in Manchester, Gorton from 6 April 2008 to 28 February 2010 was 914.

Marine Renewables Deployment Fund

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been disbursed from the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund to date.

David Kidney: A total of £2,275,000 has been disbursed from the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (MRDF) through infrastructure and research projects since its inception in 2005.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has taken steps to establish a forum for non-governmental organisations to consider issues arising from proposals for the construction of new nuclear plants.

David Kidney: Yes. It is planned that such a forum for non-governmental organisations will be established. The draft Terms of Reference of this forum will be subject to discussion, debate and. agreement at an inaugural meeting, which it is intended to hold this spring.

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets: Manpower

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials  (a) his Department and  (b) the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets employed on the latest date for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The latest date for which figures are available is 28 February 2010. At this date, DECC employed 1,103 officials (i.e. staff employed directly by DECC either permanently or temporarily). The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets employed 367 officials. Figures are provided on a full-time equivalent basis.

Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Stroud constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2008.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has implemented a large number of policies to address energy security, emissions reductions, low carbon economic growth and fuel poverty. Some of the key achievements are set out below, along with information on the number of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in Stroud constituency. It would be disproportionately costly to provide statistical information on all the impact of all the policies to the level of detail requested, but statistical information covering energy and climate change is available at
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/statistics.aspx
	 Key achievements
	The UK is on track to cut emissions by nearly twice our Kyoto target (22 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12 compared to the target of 12.5 per cent. set out under the Kyoto agreement).
	The Climate Change Act in 2008 set a target of at least 80 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. Our first three carbon budgets legally bind the UK to a cut in greenhouse gases of 34 per cent. by 2018-22 against a 1990 baseline. In 2009, the UK's Low Carbon Transition Plan set out the long-term vision for climate change and energy and showing how we will meet the carbon budgets set out in the Climate Change Act.
	In 2009, my Department published National Policy Statements on energy infrastructure which will lead to faster and fairer planning decisions and a diverse low carbon energy mix. An ambitious new framework for clean coal will also drive development of carbon capture and storage.
	The UK's energy market is the most competitive in the EU and has attracted over £97 billion of investment from 1997 to 2008 (at 2005 prices). The UK also has the greatest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world.
	In March 2010 the Government's household energy management strategy-Warm Homes, Greener Homes-set out plans for meeting the target of a reduction of 29 per cent. in (non-traded) carbon emissions in the household sector. The strategy will make it easier for people to take action, removing the deterrent of upfront costs by, for example, paving the way for 'pay as you save' energy efficiency loans.
	Government will be providing more financial assistance to help people generate their own heat and electricity in low carbon ways, where appropriate, through 'clean energy cashback' schemes.
	 Warm Front scheme: Stroud constituency
	DECC's Warm Front scheme provides grants for households on qualifying income and disability related benefits to install a range of insulation and heating measures in their homes. The number of households assisted in Stroud from April 2008 to 28 February 2010 was 626.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the fee accompanying an application for a wind turbine development is provided to the local authority responsible for initial assessment of the application; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Wind farms generating 50MW or more were considered by DECC under the Electricity Act 1989 up to 28 February 2010. As of 1 March 2010 applications for wind turbines generating 50MW or more are to be considered by the Infrastructure Planning Commission under the Planning Act 2008. In both instances none of the application fee was or is made available to the relevant local planning authority.
	Planning implication fees for wind turbine generating stations generating less than 50MW in England and Wales are considered through the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the planning application fee goes to the relevant local planning authority that receives the application.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet her Office has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons does not maintain its own internal website or intranet. The Office is part of the Cabinet Office and staff therefore have access to the Cabinet Office intranet service.

Members: Pensions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Leader of the House how many and what proportion of its shares the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund held in  (a) British Petroleum and  (b) Royal Dutch Shell on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the monetary value was of those shares on that date.

Barbara Keeley: The investment of the assets of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is a matter for the Fund's Trustees. The Chairman of Trustees will be writing to the hon. Member separately.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what  (a) circumstances and  (b) proportion of cases interest is applied to arrears owed by non-resident parents in cases managed by the Child Support Agency.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what (a) circumstances and (b) proportion of cases interest is applied to arrears owed by non-resident parents in cases managed by the Child Support Agency.
	The CSA does not apply interest charges to maintenance arrears and has not done so since April 1995. Section 43 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 extinguished liability for any interest outstanding from periods prior to April 1995.
	There are however exceptions for enforcement cases when interest can be charged following registration of a liability with the County Court. Interest in these circumstances is not calculated under Child Support legislation, but under general rules applying to court orders. In practice, this is only applied in cases involving applications for an Order for Sale, where the CSA may apply to the court for any interest accruing between the date a liability order was registered with the County Court and the application for an Order for Sale.
	As of 31 December 2009 the CSA was dealing with 1,213,100 live and assessed cases. Only Order for Sale cases with a secured debt balance in excess of £5000 have interest collected on them. As at 31 December 2009 the CSA had referred 342 Order for Sale actions, which represents less than 0.3% of the live and assessed caseload.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents in  (a) Scotland and  (b) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency are being dealt with by the Child Support Agency.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency are being dealt with by the Child Support Agency.
	Latest figures show as at December 2009, the number of cases in Scotland is 111,050; of these 320 are in the Parliamentary Constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar. These figures include old scheme cases with a full or interim maintenance assessment as well as current scheme cases with a full maintenance calculation or default maintenance decision. Figures are adjusted to reflect those cases administered clerically.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Child Support Agency (CSA) has imposed a sanction of  (a) deduction of earnings orders,  (b) deduction from bank accounts,  (c) seizure and sale of goods by bailiffs,  (d) registering a charging order against assets,  (e) obtaining a third party order to freeze assets in the bank accounts to which non-resident parties are entitled,  (f) disqualifying the non-resident parent from driving,  (g) gaining a warrant committing the non-resident parent to prison,  (h) applying to a magistrates' court to impose a curfew for non-resident parents,  (i) applying to the courts to search the non-resident parents against whom a curfew order has been made,  (j) applying to the court to prevent a non-resident parent disposing of a property and  (k) making administrative orders disqualifying non-resident parents from holding a driving licence or travel authorisation such as passports or both without the need to apply to the courts; and on what date the CSA gained the power to impose each type of sanction.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 8 March 2010
	 The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the Child Support Agency (CSA) has imposed a sanction of (a) deduction of earnings orders, (b) deduction from bank account, (c) seizure and sale of goods by bailiffs, (d) registering a charging order against assets, (e) obtaining a third party order to freeze assets in the bank accounts to which non-resident parties are entitled, (f) disqualifying the non-resident parent from driving, (g) gaining a warrant committing the non-resident parent to prison, (h) applying to a magistrates' court to impose a curfew for non-resident parents, (i) applying to the courts to search the non-resident parents against whom a curfew order has been made, (j) applying to the court to prevent a non-resident parent disposing of a property and (k) making administrative orders disqualifying non-resident parents from holding a driving licence or travel authorisation such as passports or both without the need to apply to the courts; and on what date the CSA gained the power to impose each type of sanction.
	There have been 65,535 new deduction of earning orders/requests set up in England, Wales and Scotland in the 12 months to October 2009. Deductions of earning orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
	In the period between August 2009 and October 2009, there have been 125 cases where a deduction order from a bank account has been sanctioned. Sanctioned has been interpreted as the application to freeze funds in the bank account of a non-resident parent. This power came into force in August 2009.
	In England and Wales, there have been 17,730 distress actions (bailiff actions) in the 12 months to October 2009. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 255 attachments. These powers were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
	In the 12 months to October 2009, there have been 2,995 charging orders in England and Wales. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 1,395 Bills of Inhibition. Charging Orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
	There have been 2,025 third party debt orders to freeze assets in England and Wales in the 12 months to October 2009. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 785 arrestments. Third Party Debt Orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
	When the CSA commences court proceedings for wilful failure and culpable neglect to pay child maintenance the court decides what sentence shall be imposed. Of such proceedings started across England, Wales and Scotland, 820 resulted in suspended committal sentences and 40 committal sentences. This power was a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and has been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993. There were also 70 suspended driving licence disqualification sentences and 5 actual driving licence disqualification sentences in the 12 months to October 2009. This power was introduced by the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000; and was brought into effect in April 2001.
	Powers to apply to a Court to impose a curfew on a non resident parent, search a non-resident parent against whom a curfew order has been made, prevent a non resident parent disposing of property or using administrative orders for driving licence disqualification or travel authorisation have not yet come into effect.
	Further information relating to the Agency's use of enforcement powers is published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library, or via the internet at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/statistics.html
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Theft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many thefts from her Department have been recorded in the last two years.

Jonathan R Shaw: In accordance with guidance from HM Treasury, the Department maintains records of certain high-value property that it owns, such as specialist equipment and plant and machinery. In the past two years, no items recorded on the register have been reported as stolen.

Employment Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to page 97 of the pre-Budget report 2009, what temporary employment programmes will be phased out by 2012-13; and what estimate she has made of the likely savings to her Department in  (a) 2012-13 and  (b) each of the following three years.

Helen Goodman: As set out in Building Britain's Recovery, Achieving Full Employment, in the projections of the public finances, the Government uses an National Audit Office audited assumption for claimant unemployment. If unemployment was to follow the latest assumption at the time of the pre-Budget report, this would imply savings of approximately £10 billion over the next five years from lower benefit spending alone, compared to the assumption at the time of the Budget.
	We will continue to review the support that is available for jobseekers, and decisions on the Department's future expenditure limits and spending allocations will be taken at the spending review.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had their claims for jobseeker's allowance processed in  (a) five or fewer days,  (b) between six and 10 days;  (c) between 11 and 16 days,  (d) between 17 and 21 days and  (e) more than 21 days in (i) December 2009 and (ii) January 2010.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 February 2010
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	  Letter from Darra Singh:
	Jobcentre Plus measures performance on the processing of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claims through the Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) target. The current target for 2009-10 is 11.5 days. This time is calculated across an average of all the claims cleared in any given month looking at the date the customer first contacted Jobcentre Plus or the customers first day of unemployment, whichever is the later. The end date is the date a formal decision is made on the claim and a notification is issued to the customer on entitlement.
	In addition to collecting AACT data our benefit processing system also gathers useful management information on the volumes of claims processed within the time bands you have requested.
	The following table outlines the number of JSA claims processed in December 2009 and January 2010 in both number and percentage terms. The final JSA AACT in month performance for December was 9.0 days and for January was 9.1 days. Current Year to date performance for the 2009-10 performance year is 9.8 days.
	
		
			  Month  December 2009  January  20 10 
			 JSA Processed in 5 days 99,342 113,890 
			 JSA Processed in 10 days 184,131 223,551 
			 JSA Processed in 16 days 225,299 276,843 
			 JSA Processed in 21 days 239,639 293,821 
			 JSA Processed in 22+ days 17,275 20,068 
			 1-5 days 38.70% 36.30% 
			 6-10 days 33.00% 34.90% 
			 11-16 days 16.00% 17.00% 
			 17-21 days 5.60% 5.40% 
			 22+ days 6.70% 6.40% 
			  Source:  Management and Information System Programme (MISP) 11.02.10 
		
	
	Please note that the figures provided in the table indicate cumulative figures not stand alone figures for those time bands. For instance, those cleared within 10 days include the claims that were also cleared within 5 days. The only stand alone figures are those cases cleared within the 22+ days timeband.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Lighthouse Project: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding her Department has provided to the Lighthouse project in each year since it was set up.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Lighthouse project was a charitable organization located in Halesowen and Wednesbury in the West Midlands offering drop-in advice and a wide range of support services to the local community. Jobcentre Plus has not been involved in any of their funding. Their local authority funding was withdrawn and the Lighthouse project closed late in 2009.

Nuclear Submarines: Safety

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date her Department received the request from the Health and Safety Executive to review the radius of the emergency pre-planning zone around a berthed nuclear submarine.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for determining the radius of a Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) around a berthed nuclear-powered submarine. The decision to reduce the DEPZ from 2 km to 1.5 km was based on a hazard assessment for such submarines that the Ministry of Defence submitted to the HSE in February 2008. The HSE completed a review of the assessment and informed the Ministry of Defence of the outcome of that review in December 2008.

Pensions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of people who have not made sufficient savings for their retirement; and what such estimates her Department has made in the last three years.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 March 2010
	The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that, based on Pension Commission benchmark replacement rates, about seven million people are not saving sufficiently for their retirement. It is precisely to address this issue that the Government have legislated to establish NEST and introduce automatic enrolment into a workplace pension with a guaranteed contribution from the employer and the Government from 2012
	This estimate was published in the May 2006 White Paper, 'Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pension System'. No further updates of this figure have been made in the last three years by DWP.

Social Security Advisory Committee

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 78W, on Social Security Advisory Committee: finance, how much the Social Security Advisory Committee spent  (a) in total,  (b) on staffing costs and  (c) on running costs in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08, and (iv) 2008-09; and how much expenditure she expects that Committee to incur on each type of cost in 2009-10.

Jim Knight: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Total spend 331,700 396,900 390,700 457,900 456,200 
			 Staffing costs 232,600 311,600 278,900 257,500 289,600 
			 Non-staffing costs 99,100 85,300 111,800 200,400 166,600 
			 (1) Estimate.  Notes: 1. All figures rounded to the nearest £100. 2. The SSAC is the UK advisory body on social security and related matters, such as links with the labour market and wider social welfare issues. It performs a mandatory scrutiny of most proposals for making the regulations on those issues. Thus, much of the Department for Work and Pensions' policy and legislative proposals-including the progressing of the welfare reform agenda-comes before the Committee. 3. The significant increase in non-staffing costs in 2008-09 mainly reflects the Committee's decision, in the light of rising workloads, to deploy Members and external researchers more intensively to augment the work carried out by the SSAC Secretariat in that year. It also reflects the Committee's costs in undertaking a public appointment exercise in 2008-09; no such exercise took place in the previous year.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much and what proportion of known fraud debt stock was fraud debt her Department recovered in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The following table provides data on the value of Fraud classified benefit debt recoveries and the proportion of those recoveries against the Fraud debt stock. The information is only available from 2005-06.
	
		
			   Fraud classified debt recoveries (£ million)  Proportion of recoveries against Fraud Debt Stock (percentage) 
			 2005-06 16.7 6.1 
			 2006-07 21.9 7.6 
			 2007-08 24.7 6.7 
			 2008-09 23.9 6.0 
			  Source: Shared Services Debt Manager via Business Objects computer system. This is based on available Management Information, and does not form Official Statistics. 
		
	
	Recoveries are now at an all time high. Since 2005-06, the Department has increased overall recoveries from £180 million per year to over £280 million.
	The NAO recognised our improved performance in its report 'Department for Work and Pensions, Management of Benefit Overpayment Debt', May 2009.
	As a result of the Department's Debt Management's strategy a greater proportion of outstanding fraud debts are being actively managed each year. Currently, for 90 per cent. of customers with fraud debts, repayment is either being made, being negotiated, or suspended due to inability to repay, e.g. in prison.
	We always pursue repayment. For income related benefits overpayment recovery is subject, by legislation, to a maximum rate of recovery. For other benefits the maximum deduction rate is set administratively at one third of the personal rate of the benefit or pension concerned. We will continue to recover this money over the coming years.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her latest estimate is of the monetary value of benefit fraud committed by people living outside the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 8 March 2010
	The amount wrongly paid to customers who are normally resident in United Kingdom but claimed benefits while abroad for longer than the rules allow is available in table 6.1 in the National Statistics report Fraud and Error in the Benefits System: April 2008 to March 2009 a copy of which is available in the Library. The report can also be accessed online at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fem/fem_apr08_mar09.pdf
	To help us reduce this type of fraud we are increasing the number of countries with which we have arrangements for closer working and data sharing.
	We are also reminding people in the latest Targeting Fraud campaign and in leaflets of their responsibility to tell us if they are going abroad.

Unemployment Benefits

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) income support,  (c) incapacity benefit and  (d) employment and support allowance have been sanctioned, broken down by the number of such sanctions received.

Angela Eagle: Data on the number of people claiming income support, incapacity benefit, and employment and support allowance who have been sanctioned is not available. The data that is available for jobseeker's allowance can be found in the following table. 
	
		
			  Number of sanctions applied (adverse decision), by number of individuals (thousands) April 2000 to October 2009 
			   Number of individuals( 1) 
			 Varied length 714.14  
			 Fixed length 203.67 
			 Entitlement decision 1072.09 
			 (1 )Individuals and decisions based figures are rounded to the nearest ten and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.  Notes: 1. This information is published at the Department for Work and Pensions website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp 2. Data prior to April 2000 is not available.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. 
		
	
	This amounts to an average of 96,000 sanctions and 112,000 adverse entitlement decisions per year, respectively 10 per cent. and 12 per cent. of the average JSA caseload.

CABINET OFFICE

Business

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small businesses there were in  (a) England,  (b) Eastern England and  (c) Southend West constituency in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	  Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many small businesses there were in a) England, b) Eastern England and c) Southend West constituency in each year since 1997 (321899).
	Annual statistics on business births, deaths and survival are available for 2002 onwards from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	Information on the number of active enterprises by parliamentary constituency is only available from 2004 onwards. The table below contains the latest statistics available on active enterprises with less than 50 employment for England, East of England and Southend West.
	
		
			  Active enterprises with less than 50 employment 2002-08 
			   England  East of England  Southend West 
			 2002 1,804,635 210,510 n/a 
			 2003 1,833,435 213,670 n/a 
			 2004 1,854,375 216,995 3,005 
			 2005 1,871,830 219,080 3,030 
			 2006 1,891,240 221,605 3,090 
			 2007 1,953,335 228,505 3,120 
			 2008 1,990,465 232,590 3,155 
			 n/a = Not available.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration she gave to the introduction of changes to the Civil Service Compensation scheme to apply to new entrants to the civil service.

Tessa Jowell: My statement of 3 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 11-13WS announced changes to the Civil Service Compensation scheme and the process which led up to those changes. Some respondents to the consultation exercise suggested that the changes should only apply to new entrants. However, the package agreed with five of the six main civil service unions applies to all staff, with existing staff covered by transitional provisions.

Civil Servants: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent civil servants have been employed in  (a) City of York and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many full-time equivalent civil servants have been employed in (a) City of York and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1997. (321692).
	In order to provide the information requested for York, ad hoc analysis has been required. This analysis is based on the Mandate collection (1997-2006) which provides approximately 90 per cent coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies and the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (2007-2009) which provides 100 per cent coverage. For years prior to 2003 coverage is lower.
	The data provided for Yorkshire and the Humber is based on the Mandate collection alongside departmental returns (1997-2005) and the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (2007-2009) both of which provide 100 per cent coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies. Data for 2006 is based on the Mandate collection only and provides approximately 90 per cent coverage.
	The requested data for York and Yorkshire and the Humber are attached at Annex A.
	
		
			  Annex A: Civil service employment in York and Yorkshire and the Humber( 1)  permanent employees 
			  Full-time equivalent 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 York(2) 1,560 1,460 1,490 1,630 1,760 2140 2420 2,760 2850 2,750 2,850 2,860 2,970 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber(3) 32,270 32,010 32,030 33,060 33,890 35,050 35,570 39,140 38,670 34,500 36,330 36,370 36,580 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers less than five are represented by -. (2) 1997-2006 Mandate only-incomplete coverage of civil service departments. 2007-09 Annual Civil Service Employment survey. (3 )1997-2005 Mandate and departmental returns. 2006 Mandate only-incomplete coverage of civil service departments. 2007-09 Annual Civil Service Employment Survey.  Source: Mandate collection (1997-2006) Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (2007-09)

Deaths: Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 159W, on death: cancer, for what reasons age-standardised mortality rates for 2008 are  (a) unavailable by parliamentary constituency and  (b) available for primary care trusts; when she expects the 2008 data for each parliamentary constituency to be made available; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 159W, on death: cancer, for what reasons age-standardised mortality rates for 2008 are (a) unavailable by parliamentary constituency and (b) available for primary care trusts; when she expects the 2008 data broken down by parliamentary constituency to be made available. (322228)
	Calculation of mortality rates requires both the number of deaths and an estimate of the population for the same area and time period. Mortality rates for (a) parliamentary constituencies could not be calculated for 2008 as mid-year population estimates for parliamentary constituencies in 2008 were not yet available. The equivalent rates for (b) primary care organisations could be calculated as ONS published mid-year population estimates for primary care organisations in October 2009. The 2008 mid-year population estimates for parliamentary constituencies are due to be published in July/August 2010.

Deaths: Ovarian Cancer

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many women died of ovarian cancer in East Lancashire in each year since 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	  Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many women died of ovarian cancer in East Lancashire in each year since 2005. (322222)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where ovarian cancer was the underlying cause of death, for women in East Lancashire Teaching primary care trust from 2005 to 2008 (latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where ovarian cancer( 1)  was the underlying cause of death in females, East Lancashire Teaching primary care trust( 2) , 2005-08( 3) 
			   Deaths 
			 2005 21 
			 2006 28 
			 2007 20 
			 2008 26 
			 (1) Cause of death for ovarian cancer was defined using International Statistical Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD 10) code C56. (2) Based on boundaries as of February 2010. Renamed East Lancashire Teaching PCT on 1 May 2007 (formerly known as East Lancashire PCT). (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she made of the number of people in employment who were  (a) UK born,  (b) non-UK born,  (c) a UK national and  (d) a non-UK national in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; what the change in the level of employment was between those years; and for what proportion of the net change in employment each of those groups accounted between those years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the number of people in employment who were (a) UK born, (b) non-UK born, (c) a UK national and (d) a non-UK national in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; what the change in the level of employment was between those years; and for what proportion of the net change in employment each of those groups accounted between those years. (322169)
	The requested information can be found in the following tables. The UK and non-UK estimates do not sum exactly to the totals, as the totals include some people who did not state their country of birth and nationality.
	
		
			  Number of people in employment by country of birth (thousand, not seasonally adjusted) 
			   1997  2009  Difference between 1997 and 2009  Proportion of net change in total employment (percentage) 
			 UK 24,547 25,236 689 28 
			 Non-UK 1,975 3,735 1,760 72 
			 Total 26,523 28,978 2,455 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of people in employment by nationality (thousand, not seasonally adjusted) 
			   1997  2009  Difference between 1997 and 2009  Proportion of net change in total employment (percentage) 
			 UK 25,551 26,673 1,122 46 
			 Non-UK 971 2,300 1,329 54 
			 Total 26,523 28,978 2,455 100 
		
	
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.

Government Departments: Electronic Warfare

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the threat to the Government's critical infrastructure of an electromagnetic pulse strike caused  (a) deliberately and  (b) through solar activity.

Angela Smith: The Government's Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, published alongside and reflected in the National Security Strategy update of June 2009, considers a number of methods of cyber attack, including those that generate high levels of radio frequency power that can damage or disrupt unprotected electronics. It also outlines the new governance structures and workstreams which are now building on existing work to take forward the Government's plan for reducing the impact on and vulnerability of the UK's interests from cyber attacks.
	The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provides advice on electronic or cyber protective security measures to the businesses and organisations that comprise the UK's critical national infrastructure, including public utilities, companies and banks. CPNI also runs a CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) service which responds to reported attacks on private sector networks. In addition, the Communications Electronic Security Group (CESG) provides Government Departments with advice and guidance on how to protect against, detect and mitigate various types of cyber attack.
	It would not be in the interests of national security to publish information about specific vulnerabilities, assessments or protective measures relating to electromagnetic pulse attack.

Government Departments: Electronic Warfare

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons the threat of an electromagnetic pulse strike caused  (a) deliberately and  (b) through solar activity was not included in the Government's Cyber Security Strategy.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The threat to the UK's cyber security from the effects of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is specifically highlighted in the fourth bullet of paragraph 2.8 on page 14 of the Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom published in June 2009, referred to by its alternative (non-nuclear) title of High Power Radio Frequency (HPRF) transmission. The Cyber Security Strategy did not sub-classify the origin of HPRF threats into solar or deliberate.

Lord Ashcroft

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if she will make available to the Public Administration Select Committee all papers and other documents relating to the undertaking given by Lord Ashcroft prior to his inclusion in the list of recommendations for a peerage;
	(2)  what investigations her Department is conducting into the undertakings given by Lord Ashcroft prior to his inclusion in the list of recommendations for a peerage.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Alun Michael) the hon. Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt) and the right hon. Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) on 12 March 2010,  Official Report, column 483W.

Personal Income: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average household disposable income was in York in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest 12 months for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average household disposable income was in York in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest 12 months for which figures are available. (322110).
	Table 1 shows the average net weekly equivalised household income for the City of York Parliamentary constituency area, both before and after housing costs, for the years 2007-08, the latest available, and 2001-02, the earliest period for which data are available, in current and 2007-08 prices. These figures are based on experimental small area statistics published by the ONS.
	These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average net weekly equivalised household income in the City of York parliamentary constituency area, 2001-02 and 2007-08 ( 1, 2) 
			  £ 
			  (a) In current prices(4)  Mean income (before housing costs)( 3)  Mean income (after housing costs)( 3) 
			 2001-02 360 330 
			 2007-08 470 380 
			
			  (b) In 2007-08 prices   
			 2001-02 410 370 
			 2007-08 470 380 
			 (1) Incomes are presented net of income tax payments, National Insurance contributions and Council tax (2) Figures rounded to the nearest £10 (3) Housing costs include rent (gross of housing benefit), water charges, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance, ground rent and service charges. (4) Current prices are the prices as they were at the time of the survey. For example, data for 2001-02 are in 2001-02 prices and data for 2007-08 are in 2007-08 prices  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Unemployment

James Clappison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 995-6W, on unemployment, how many economically inactive people of working age who were long-term sick or disabled wanted employment in  (a) each of the last 10 years and  (b) each of the last eight quarters.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many economically inactive people of working age who were long-term sick or disabled wanted employment in (a) each of the last 10 years and (b) each of the last eight quarters. (321641)
	Estimates of economic inactivity are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition, people are classed as economically inactive if they are neither in employment nor unemployed. The estimates provided comprise those who have not been looking for work in the last four weeks, but who say they would like a regular paid job, plus those who have been looking for work but who were unable to start within two weeks.
	These estimates are published in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin Historical Supplement which is available on the National Statistics website via the following link:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LMS_FR_HS/WebTable13.xls
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Economically inactive, long-term sick or disabled people of working age( 1)  who want a job( 2) , United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			   Total (thousand) 
			 October to December quarter:  
			 2000 744 
			 2001 753 
			 2002 752 
			 2003 670 
			 2004 634 
			 2005 615 
			 2006 611 
			 2007 618 
			   
			 Latest eight quarters:  
			  2008  
			 January to March 664 
			 April to June 658 
			 July to September 653 
			 October to December 628 
			   
			  2009  
			 January to March 599 
			 April to June 618 
			 July to September 659 
			 October to December 676 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2) Those who had not been looking for work in the four weeks prior to interview but who said they would like a regular paid job, plus those who had been looking for work but had been unable to start within two weeks.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey

Unemployment Benefits

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reason the time series data produced by the Office for National Statistics on the number of 18 to 24 year olds claiming jobseeker's allowance before April 1997 is unavailable; what data are available on the number of young people who claimed unemployment benefits before that date; and by what mechanisms data on numbers of unemployment benefit claimants before and after April 1997 may be compared.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for what reason the time series data produced by the Office for National Statistics on the number of 18 to 24 year olds claiming jobseeker's allowance before April 1997 is unavailable; what data are available on the number of young people who claimed unemployment benefits before that date; and by what mechanisms data on numbers of unemployment benefit claimants before and after April 1997 may be compared. (322105)
	In October 1996 Unemployment Benefit and unemployment-related Income Support were merged into a single Jobseeker's Allowance. This introduced discontinuities into the Claimant Count series. Adjustments for discontinuities to the series were estimated by sex and by region, however, these adjustments were not further broken down to cover age and duration breakdowns. Consequently age and duration series prior to April 1997 are not consistent with series after that date.
	Two of the main factors influencing the decision to not make adjustments for age and duration were the high proportion of claims for which there was no age and duration information available, around 10% of all claims in the early 1990's and the unavailability of similar breakdowns of Northern Ireland data prior to January 1996, due to the use of separate administrative systems.
	Information on the number of 18 to 24 year olds claiming unemployment benefits is available prior to 1997, stretching back to 1985. However, this information only covers geographic areas within Great Britain, is subject to discontinuities mentioned above, does not include clerical claims and is not available on a seasonally adjusted basis.
	As a result of the adjustments mentioned above, seasonally adjusted Claimant Count series, by sex and by region, prior to April 1997 can be considered comparable with those after that date. However, detailed breakdowns, including those for age groups should only be compared in the context of the discontinuities arising from changes in administrative and benefits systems.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what liabilities the Homes and Communities Agency has in relation to rent subsidy for tenants signed up to the Rent to HomeBuy scheme for the financial year  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency provide capital grant to support the development or acquisition of properties. The grant is paid at start on site and on completion of a scheme. No further financial liabilities exist.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many Rent to HomeBuy tenants are expected to purchase a share in their home in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12; and what estimate has been made of the costs of the scheme in each of those years;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 1127-28W, on affordable housing: finance, whether the allocations to the Rent to HomeBuy scheme assume that 100 per cent. of tenants will purchase a share in their home.

John Healey: The Rent to HomeBuy product is designed to assist people into homeownership and it is expected that tenants will purchase a share of their property during or at the end of the agreed intermediate period. It is recognised that some tenants' personal circumstances may mean that moving into shared ownership is not suitable for them at that time.
	The Homes and Communities Agency does not make assumptions about future purchases when making allocation decisions for this product.
	The HCA, based on information as at the end of February 2010, is currently forecasting expenditure on approved Rent to HomeBuy schemes in 2010-11 and 2011-12 of £52 million and £27 million respectively.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Homes and Communities Agency grant for Rent to HomeBuy properties is paid  (a) at the start or  (b) on an ongoing basis during an intermediate rent tenancy.

John Healey: Capital grant is provided through the National Affordable Housing Programme, for the provision of a property. Grant is paid for new build schemes in two tranches, with part of the grant paid at start on site and the remainder on completion of the scheme. Where a property is bought by or transferred to an Investment Partner as an existing unit 100 per cent. of the grant is paid on completion. There is no further grant paid after the development is complete.
	The Rent to HomeBuy scheme may be either a new build scheme or acquisition of an existing property.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 1127-28W, on affordable housing: finance, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the funding allocated to Rent to HomeBuy for 2010-11 which will be used for  (a) existing tenants' rent subsidies and  (b) new completions.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency through their National Affordable Housing Programme funds the provision of new affordable housing units under the Rent to HomeBuy scheme. All funding in 2010-11 will be used to provide new affordable housing either through new build or acquisition. No funding through the National Affordable Housing Programme will be used for existing tenants' rent subsidies.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the provision of family-sized affordable homes.

Ian Austin: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is aiming to create cohesive and sustainable communities including the provision of larger family sized homes. As part of the HCA's Corporate Plan we have also set them a target that 30 per cent. of their social rented homes completions through the National Affordable Housing Programme in 2009-10 should be for homes with three or more bedrooms. This target is set to increase to 33 per cent. in 2010-11.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable family-sized homes have been built in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: The number of affordable homes built in each year since 1997 are available on the CLG website in Live Table 1009. Statistics are not held centrally that identify which of these are 'family-sized' or occupied by families.
	Information in respect of the distribution of affordable homes provided through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme by the number of bedrooms has been deposited in the Library of the House in response to the question I answered from the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 15 March 2010,  Official Report, column 667W.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to assist local authorities to increase provision of family-sized affordable homes.

Ian Austin: The Local Authority New Build programme is providing over £500 million for the direct development of new affordable homes to rent by local authorities. Funding has now been approved to 87 local authorities to build over 4,000 homes. If all proceed to completion over 40 per cent. will be homes with three bedrooms or more.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the pathfinder areas in increasing provision of family-sized affordable homes.

Ian Austin: The overcrowding pathfinder programme has enabled local authorities to develop effective schemes that support under-occupiers who wish to downsize and to therefore free up family-sized affordable homes.
	The majority of pathfinders have reported an increase in the number of family-sized homes being made available to let.

AXA Group

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with AXA and its subsidiaries since 2005.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 12 March 2010
	Since the formation of Communities and Local Government in 2006 no Ministers have met with AXA. Information prior to this is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Information on any meetings with AXA's subsidiaries could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax: Newcastle upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties there are in each council tax band in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne; and how many in each such band are  (a) empty and  (b) in each exemption class.

Barbara Follett: Details of the number of dwellings and the number of long-term empty dwellings by council tax band in Newcastle upon Tyne are shown in the following table.
	Data on dwellings that are exempt from council tax (including short-term empty dwellings) are not collected by individual council tax band.
	
		
			  Council tax band  Number of dwellings  Long-term empty dwellings 
			 A 71,269 1,157 
			 B 18,065 105 
			 C 17,596 125 
			 D 8,200 68 
			 E 4,007 26 
			 F 1,916 17 
			 G 1,491 19 
			 H 117 5 
			 Total 122,661 1,522 
		
	
	The data are as reported on the Calculation of Council Tax Base for Formula Grant Purposes (CTB) form completed by all the billing authorities in England as at October 2009.

Council Tax: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much on average has been charged in respect of band D council tax in City of York in each year since 2002-03 expressed in  (a) cash terms and  (b) constant prices;
	(2)  which local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber had a lower average band D council tax than City of York in each year since 2002-03; and what the level of band D council tax was in each of those authorities in each such year.

Barbara Follett: Details of the authorities in the Yorkshire and the Humber region that had a lower average Band D council tax than York in each year since 2002-03, and the level of Band D council tax (in £) in each of those years, is shown in the following table. Also shown in the table is the average Band D council tax (in £) in York in the same period expressed in  (a) cash terms and  (b) in real terms at April 2009 prices.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 West Yorkshire combined fire authority 30 39 42 44 46 48 50 51 
			 South Yorkshire combined fire authority 41 44 47 49 51 54 56 58 
			 North Yorkshire combined fire authority - - 51 53 54 56 59 61 
			 Humberside combined fire authority - - 61 64 67 70 74 77 
			 Hambleton 74 82 89 96 100 106 113 117 
			 West Yorkshire police authority 76 89 102 107 112 118 124 127 
			 South Yorkshire police authority 74 94 103 108 113 119 125 129 
			 Humberside police authority 95 113 130 136 142 150 156 162 
			 Craven 142 154 160 168 176 183 184 192 
			 North Yorkshire police authority 89 156 172 176 180 185 193 199 
			 Selby 156 163 168 174 178 185 192 200 
			 Ryedale 166 169 176 182 187 194 202 208 
			 Richmondshire 163 172 180 191 193 198 203 208 
			 Scarborough 154 168 183 191 198 206 215 222 
			 Harrogate 159 172 185 193 202 215 220 228 
			 North Yorkshire 733 817 817 857 899 944 988 1,027 
			 York (cash) 785 832 856 899 948 990 1,037 1,071 
			 York (at April 2009 prices) 945 971 975 992 1,021 1,020 1,025 1,071 
		
	
	The data are not strictly comparable as (a) not all authorities were in existence in all years and (b) responsibilities and functions vary between authorities.
	The data are collected on the annual budget requirement (BR) forms submitted to Communities and Local Government by all billing and precepting authorities in England.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on office refurbishments in each year since its inception.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government has spent £17 million, including VAT, on office refurbishments since its inception in May 2006. The projects are pail of department's estates efficiency strategy, resulting in running cost efficiencies of £8 million per annum.

Departmental Information Officers

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 February 2010,  Official Report, column 632W, on departmental information officers, what the  (a) job title,  (b) division and  (c) responsibilities are of each of the eight members of staff who work full-time on communications who are not listed in the White Book.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  (a) Job title  Grade  (b) Division  (c) Responsibilities 
			 Communications manager, planning reform Senior executive officer Planning directorate communications and stakeholder engagement Stakeholder communications 
			 Strategic communications manager Grade 6 Local government research, strategy and communications Communications strategy for the directorate 
			 Communications manager Senior information officer (0.6) Community action and third sector communications and stakeholder engagement division Communications and stakeholder engagement activity and strategy for the programme 
			 Communications Lead FiReControl Grade 7 FiReControl Communications and stakeholder management adviser for the FiReControl project in Fire and Resilience Directorate 
			 Head of communications and stakeholder engagement Grade 7 Fire and resilience directorate Communications and stakeholder engagement for the FRD directorate 
			 Housing communications and stakeholder engagement team leader Grade 7 Housing shared policy and support Housing communications and stakeholder engagement 
			 Devolved web manager Higher executive officer- Housing shared policy and support Manager, editor and publisher of all content, data and publications to the housing section of the communities and local government website. 
			 e-publications manager Executive officer Housing shared policy and support Electronic publisher/editor for the housing section of the communities and local government website.

Flood Control: Finance

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have made submissions to his Department for funding under the Bellwin scheme as a result of the recent severe weather conditions.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 15 March 2010
	The following local authorities have registered an intention to apply for Bellwin assistance as a result of the bad weather in December 2009 and January 2010:
	City of York council
	Herefordshire council
	North Yorkshire county council
	Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	West Berkshire council.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many architectural assessments of each Kickstart development were made; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such assessment.

John Healey: The Kickstart projects architectural merits are dealt with as part of the Building for Life assessment.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what scores were given to each Kickstart development during its first assessment; for what reason each was subsequently re-scored; and what score was later applied to each development.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) commissioned the Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment (CABE) to carry out Building for Life assessments on Kickstart round one schemes. The breakdown of Building for Life scores under Kickstart round one can be found on the HCA's website. The Building for Life scores were only part of the total design assessment. For the lower scoring schemes, the HCA supplemented these assessments with further information to enable the suitability of bids to be considered in their wider community and local authority context.
	The HCA and CABE will produce detailed reports on all aspects of the delivery of rounds one and two, including design, following the conclusion of round two. These reports will include details of the design assessments undertaken.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in Birmingham have received assistance through  (a) the Mortgage Rescue Scheme,  (b) the Homeowners Mortgage Scheme and  (c) Support for Mortgage Interest.

John Healey: Mortgage Rescue scheme summary monitoring statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Statistics for the October to December 2009 period were published on 11 February 2010 and can be accessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	Quarterly figures reported by local authorities from January to December 2009 are provided in a table which has been placed in the Library.
	For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W. This information is not monitored at local authority level.
	Help is provided towards the interest on mortgages (known as support for mortgage interest (SMI)) as part of income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance and pension credit.
	The following table provides figures for Birmingham local authority.
	
		
			  Table 1: Income support, jobseeker's allowance ( I B) and pension credit claimants who are receiving help with mortgage interest in Birmingham local authority, August 2009 
			  Benefit  Number 
			 IS 3,000 
			 JSA (IB) 1,100 
			 PC 2,300 
			  Notes:  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  2. Figures have been up-rated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals.  3. No estimate is available yet for the number of employment and support allowance (income-related) cases.   Source:   Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. 
		
	
	 Caseload-number of claimants
	Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003.
	Pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming.
	The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. In this case reliable data for mortgage interest support are not available from the 100 per cent. data so the 5 per cent. data have been used. The latest of which is August 2009.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1152W, on non-domestic rates: ports, what assessment has been made of the effect of the ending of prescription of rating  (a) on the work of the Valuation Office Agency,  (b) businesses within the prescribed ports and  (c) the system of rating businesses separately.

Barbara Follett: There has been no assessment made of the effect of the ending of prescribed rating on the work of the Valuation Office Agency. The impact on businesses occupying properties subject to prescribed rating, like the port authorities, was that their rateable value was ascertained by the same rules of assessment that apply to all other non-domestic properties instead of by a prescribed formula.
	The ending of prescribed rating did not affect decisions on whether or not property occupied by other businesses within ports should be assessed separately for non-domestic rates. The principles concerning separate rateability where there is exclusive occupation and paramount control are long established. The leading case on the subject is a House of Lords decision from as far back as 1936-Westminster Council  v . Southern Railway Company and W.H. Smith and Son.
	The review of ports by the Valuation Office Agency was done to ensure that all individual business properties within and outside ports are rated fairly and that the burden of contributions to funding local government is shared equitably amongst businesses around the country.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some businesses within ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5 per cent.
	As at October 8 2009, local authorities have reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments.

Property Development: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on Planning Policy Statement 25, on flooding; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: We have received over 100 representations in response to the consultation proposals published in August 2009 for making some limited amendments to Planning Policy Statement 25, Development and Flood Risk. The great majority of these responses have expressed support for the proposed amendments. We expect to publish shortly a summary of the consultation responses, and a revised version of PPS25 with refinements to further improve the policy's implementation and effectiveness.

Social Rented Housing: Overcrowding

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of the appropriateness of statutory standards on overcrowding in social housing.

Ian Austin: The Government are committed to addressing overcrowding and to updating the statutory standards.
	The £15 million overcrowding pathfinder programme is helping both to develop effective strategies for tackling overcrowding, and to build evidence to support updating of the statutory standards.

Social Rented Housing: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in Sheffield are still awaiting completion of Decent Homes work for which funding has been allocated; and how much such funding has been allocated.

John Healey: As at 1 April 2009, 10,057 local authority homes in Sheffield were reported to be non-decent. For 2009-10, the figures allocated to Sheffield for spending on decent homes is £76,007,000 for the ALMO, £6,300,000 from Local Authority Supported Capital Expenditure (LASCE) and £27,600,000 from the Major Repairs Allowance (MRA), although not all the LASCE and MRA is spent on decent homes. The figure for 2010-11 for the ALMO funding is £45,702,000 but we do not have the final figures for LASCE and MRA.

Social Rented Housing: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent under the Decent Homes programme in Sheffield through  (a) Sheffield Homes and  (b) other housing associations to date.

John Healey: Sheffield Homes came into operation in 2005. For the period 2005 to 2009, Sheffield city council reported £585.5 million capital expenditure on their HRA stock. Not all of this will relate to Decent Homes.
	Housing associations have largely funded decent homes improvements through their own resources, and my Department does not collect information about housing association investment to deliver the Decent Homes standard in their own stock.

Social Rented Housing: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in Sheffield have been improved under the Decent Homes programme to date.

John Healey: Between 2001 and 2009 Sheffield's non-decent dwellings reduced from 47,700 in 2001 to 10,057 in 2009. Sheffield city council have forecast that the number of non-decent homes will be reduced to 5,044 by the end of this year. The actual number of dwellings improved will be greater than the difference between these figures, since it will include both dwellings that were non-decent in 2001 and others that have become non-decent and been improved in the period since then.

Social Rented Housing: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money Sheffield city council has been allocated for building new social housing in the last two years; and what estimate he has made of the number of houses which will be provided with such funding.

John Healey: The following table shows the funds allocated for affordable housing in Sheffield to registered social landlords and other providers through the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing Programme for 2008-09 and 2009-10 to the end of February 2010.
	
		
			   2008-09  2009-10 to end February 2010 
			   Rent  Low cost home ownership  Rent  Low cost home ownership 
			 Grant (£ million) 5.39 1.76 14.97 5.61 
			 Units 100 60 256 170 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency 
		
	
	In addition, £1.53 million grant for 27 units has been allocated to Sheffield city council under round 1 of the LA New Build programme.

JUSTICE

Antisocial Behaviour: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many curfew orders have been issued by courts in York since the introduction of such orders; and how many of those people have been proceeded against for breaching them.

Claire Ward: The available information is provided in the following table.
	The data presented in the table are for curfew orders (under Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 S37) given in York courts to offenders as a sentence. Data are not held centrally for the number of curfews issued by courts as part of other sentences such as the requirements of community orders under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 s.177 or other Acts. Data are not held centrally for the number of curfews ordered as a condition of bail.
	Due to data quality issues we are unable to provide information on breaches. Work is currently under way to resolve this.
	For information purposes: the data which have been provided do not include local child curfew schemes (set up under the powers provided by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and sections 48 and 49 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 which has been repealed by the Police and Crime Act 2009).
	
		
			  Total curfew orders( 1)  issued in criminal courts in York, all offences, 1998 to 2008 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Crown court - - - - 1 1 5 2 3 1 2 
			 Magistrates court - - - 1 4 13 25 19 36 36 43 
			 (1) Curfew orders under s.38 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000. These figures do not include community orders imposed with a curfew requirement. The magistrates court data include the adult and youth court.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. Sou rce: Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database

Care Proceedings

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children under 18 years of age who are the subject of  (a) pre-court and  (b) court orders are not in education, employment or training.

Maria Eagle: Figures from the Youth Justice Board indicate that there were 1,708 young people aged under-18 in England and Wales in 2008-09 with final warnings with an intervention, who were not receiving any education, employment or training when their order closed. There were 10,547 young people with relevant community-based penalties or community elements of custodial sentences who were not receiving any suitable education, training or employment.
	The data has been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and has been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. Differences in counting rules may mean that figures from other databases are not directly comparable.

Convictions: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted at York  (a) magistrates court and  (b) Crown court in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest 12 months for which figures are available; and what the average time taken between charging and sentence for people convicted at each court was in each such period.

Claire Ward: The number persons found guilty at York magistrates court and York Crown court in 1997 and 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database cannot identify the time taken between charge and sentence.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at York magistrates' court and York Crown  c ourt for all offences, 1997 and 2008( 1,2) 
			  Court  Found guilty 
			 York petty sessional area(3)  
			 1997 3,714 
			 2008 2,831 
			   
			 York Crown Court  
			 1997 480 
			 2008 535 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used (3) Includes the Adult and youth Court  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Courts: Video Conferencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the virtual court pilot at Camberwell Green magistrates court of  (a) police officers,  (b) court staff,  (c) other court operational costs, excluding staff,  (d) Crown Prosecution staff and  (e) probation staff.

Claire Ward: The evaluation of the Virtual Courts pilot, which began in May 2009, will assess any variation in the costs of operational staff required to administer the process, compared with the traditional court process. It will also consider the costs of the supporting technology. The final report is expected in autumn 2010.
	The total project costs for the pilot are approximately £5 million. This includes the costs of developing the technical infrastructure required to support it, but excludes operational staff costs.

Custodial Treatment: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received a custodial sentence at York  (a) magistrates court and  (b) Crown court in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; and what the average length of sentence at each court was in each such period.

Claire Ward: The available information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Total custodial sentences in the magistrates court and crown court and the average custodial sentence length  (months)( 1) , 1997 to  2008 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Crown court 
			 Total sentenced 539 637 659 676 641 643 593 610 678 713 673 753 
			 Total immediate custody 282 359 376 397 448 407 360 415 448 417 387 351 
			 Total suspended sentences 21 14 24 8 9 14 12 17 11 97 131 136 
			 Average custodial sentence length (months) 17.5 19.1 19.3 20.5 20.9 25.4 26.5 25.3 25.5 24.7 26.6 21.3 
			  
			  Magistrates court 
			 Total sentenced 3,724 3,891 4,376 3,153 2,858 2,375 2,607 2,716 2,959 2,384 2,285 2,755 
			 Total immediate custody 108 161 227 239 202 139 196 228 200 118 119 164 
			 Total suspended sentences 0 4 1 2 1 2 4 0 36 98 73 89 
			 Average custodial sentence length (months) 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.4 
			 (1) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Suspended sentence orders were introduced in April 2005.   Note s :  1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  2. The data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. The data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Dangerous Dogs: Prosecutions

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been in Lancashire for offences in connection with allowing a dog to attack a person in the last 36 months.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Lancashire police force area for selected offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, from 2006 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication in autumn 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Lancashire police force area for selected offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, from 2006 to 2008( 1,2) 
			Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence description  Section of the Act  2006  2007  2008  2006  2007  2008 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person S.3 (1) 26 19 19 17 12 15 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused S.3 (1) 11 18 12 8 12 5 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person S.3 (3) 1 1 - 1 - - 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non- public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person S.3 (3) 2 1 1 1 - - 
			 (1) The number proceeded against and number found guilty relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department and its predecessor have commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Michael Wills: The Department's internal website is the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) intranet. Since 2005 the intranet has been completely redesigned and rebuilt twice. Only the most recent design in 2009 required design work to be commissioned. The total cost for this work is as follows:
	
		
			  Total cost for design work commissioned for the MOJ intranet-2009 
			  Task  Staff  Days  Rate (£)  Cost (£) 
			 Design drafts Senior designer 7.5 590 4,425 
			 Project management Project manager 0.5 600 300 
			 Total - - - 4,725 
		
	
	The MOJ intranet was created in 2007 to meet the needs of the new Ministry of Justice. The new Ministry brought together a number of disparate bodies and the intranet was a key element in building the cohesion of the organisation.
	The intranet is the main channel of communication for Ministry of Justice staff across the Department providing up-to-date information on corporate issues. It also provides a wide range of information and resources which make a major contribution to the efficient running of the Department and gives staff quick and easy access to many of the tools they need to do their jobs.
	The intranet was redesigned and rebuilt in 2009. The new intranet provides quick and easier access to information therefore contributing to increased efficiency in the work of the Department. A more modern look and feel helps to bring the experience of using the intranet into line with the expectations of staff who use other online channels both at work and at home. The intranet provides a central focus for all staff, is able to be accessed across the organisation, and helps join up the Ministry and its staff.

Employment Tribunal Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunal hearings were  (a) scheduled and (b) completed at each centre in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The information in the following table shows the number of scheduled hearings in each employment tribunal office and the number of hearings that actually took place in those offices. In each case, the information covers each of the last three complete financial years. For the purposes of this question, the term 'hearing' includes case management discussions, pre-hearing reviews, merits hearings, review hearings and, where necessary, remedy hearings.
	The listing of a case for hearing can often focus the minds of parties and representatives on the possibility of solutions other than a tribunal hearing. Many of the cases scheduled for hearing can, therefore, be settled or withdrawn prior to that hearing taking place. A number of cases will also have been postponed at the request of parties or, occasionally, on the direction of an employment judge. In order to maximise the use of hearing rooms cases are listed (under the direction of a Judge) with the expectation that a proportion will withdraw.
	
		
			  Office  Number of hearings  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Aberdeen Scheduled 753 820 767 
			  Completed 304 302 294 
			 Ashford Scheduled 2,162 2,492 2,265 
			  Completed 1012 1184 960 
			 Bedford Scheduled 2,278 2,248 2,439 
			  Completed 914 821 858 
			 Birmingham Scheduled 6,440 6,674 7,763 
			  Completed 3,161 3,243 3,439 
			 Bristol Scheduled 2,660 3,039 3,194 
			  Completed 1,243 1,254 1,306 
			 Bury St. Edmunds Scheduled 2,529 2,537 2,530 
			  Completed 921 881 882 
			 Cardiff Scheduled 2,504 2,901 3,169 
			  Completed 966 1,178 1,343 
			 Dundee Scheduled 685 669 588 
			  Completed 307 226 217 
			 Edinburgh Scheduled 1,520 1,489 1,384 
			  Completed 612 592 544 
			 Exeter Scheduled 2,055 2,548 2,395 
			  Completed 918 1,129 1,053 
			 Glasgow Scheduled 3,074 3,523 3,749 
			  Completed 1,367 1,627 1,739 
			 Leeds Scheduled 4,459 4,769 5,110 
			  Completed 2,038 2,229 2,222 
			 Leicester Scheduled 1,822 2,076 2,093 
			  Completed 670 846 822 
			 Liverpool Scheduled 2,867 2,870 3,135 
			  Completed 1,082 1,092 1,264 
			 London Central Scheduled 4,871 5,357 6,405 
			  Completed 2,599 2,952 3,446 
			 London South Scheduled 5,294 5,182 5,182 
			  Completed 2,635 2,636 2,695 
			 Manchester Scheduled 5,596 5,766 6,657 
			  Completed 2,226 2,448 3,008 
			 Newcastle Scheduled 5,751 7,208 7,206 
			  Completed 3,059 4,068 3,798 
			 Nottingham Scheduled 2,475 2,791 3,003 
			  Completed 961 1,080 1,267 
			 Reading Scheduled 1,911 2,380 2,384 
			  Completed 823 997 1,010 
			 Sheffield Scheduled 2,040 1,969 2,086 
			  Completed 817 706 716 
			 Shrewsbury Scheduled 2,008 1,770 1,942 
			  Completed 816 746 719 
			 Southampton Scheduled 3,739 3,774 3,436 
			  Completed 1,680 1,658 1,560 
			 Stratford Scheduled 3,217 3,679 3,221 
			  Completed 1,605 1,645 1,372 
			 Watford Scheduled 3,334 3,017 3,705 
			  Completed 1,489 1,344 1,469

Employment Tribunal Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements there are for the management of information technology at the Employment Tribunal Service; and for what reason the service has ceased to employ stenographers to transcribe proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: The Tribunals Service is responsible for administering the work of employment tribunals. Information technology services in respect of those tribunals are provided by a unit within the Ministry of Justice, MOJ ICT (Information Communications Technology), which itself contracts with specialist IT providers. The contracts in place specify levels of service to be delivered, including measures for both quality and timeliness.
	Stenographers have never been employed by the Tribunals Service or, before its inception, the Employment Tribunals Service, to transcribe employment tribunal proceedings. Parties may, with the consent of the tribunal, use stenographers but the costs involved will be met by the parties.

Greater Manchester

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Manchester, Gorton constituency, the effects on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice's work spans criminal, civil and family justice, democracy, rights and the constitution. Every year around nine million people use our services in 900 locations across the United Kingdom, including 650 courts and tribunals and 139 prisons in England and Wales.
	The range of the Department's policies and actions is wide and the statistical information relating to it is not normally collected on a constituency basis. Consequently, some of the information requested in the question cannot be provided in the form requested except at a disproportionate cost.
	Although data on sentencing for the period is not available for the constituency of Gorton, it is available for Greater Manchester. This shows a decrease in the total number of offenders sentenced annually from 94,568 in 1997 to 77,729 in 2008, the latest period for which such information is available.
	The number of offences brought to justice for the Greater Manchester area increased from 59,224 for the 12 months ending 31 March 2001 (the earliest period since which such data has been compiled) to 71,894 (provisional figures) for the 12 months ending 31 March 2009.
	With regard to prosecutions, data is not available for the constituency of Gorton. However, the total number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts in Greater Manchester was 123,806 in 1997 compared to 91,211 in 2008.
	The latest data, which covers reoffending in the period 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009, showed that the 3 month reoffending rate for offenders on the probation caseload in Manchester was 10.37 per cent. After controlling for changes in the characteristics of offenders on the probation caseload, there was a decrease in reoffending of 1.89 per cent. compared to the 2007-08 baseline. Data is not available prior to 2007 on this basis.
	The number of persons commencing court order supervision by the Probation Service in Greater Manchester was 8,522 in 1997 and 11,769 in 2008.
	93,393 civil non-family proceedings were started in the county courts of Greater Manchester HM Courts Service (HMCS) area in 2008, compared to 137,500 in 1998, the first year for which these figures are available. In respect of family law, there were also 4,766 private law applications and 347 public law applications made in the county or High Courts of this HMCS area in 2008-09, compared to 4,275 and 485 respectively in 2003-04, the first annual period for which these figures are available.
	In addition, at a national level:
	Local communities are being better engaged in criminal justice-by giving them a say in the types of Community Payback projects offenders carry out and allowing them to see justice being done, for example through the use of high visibility jackets. Offenders have now worked more than fourteen million hours, with an estimated value to the taxpayer of over £80 million.
	Major constitutional reforms have been delivered, including devolution, the Human Rights Act, Freedom of Information, Lords Reform, and a new Supreme Court for the UK.

Legal Aid

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to provide for flexibility in the number of matter starts which may be allocated to take account of increased demand at local level.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC), like all other public bodies, must work within a fixed budget. However, the LSC is responsive to increased demand for services at local level within that budget. Last year, the LSC increased the number of cases funded of initial civil advice and assistance in areas like debt and housing to over one million in response to the economic downturn-a record amount. The LSC also allocated cases in areas where clients had previously found services hard to access. The LSC will continue to maintain this flexible approach where there is evidence of both need and demand for additional services.
	Should the commission find, that there is insufficient access to advice in a particular area, either following the tender or during the life of the contract, they will consider further measures within their budget constraints. This will range from offering increased matter starts to existing contracted providers, to undertaking further interim bid rounds to encourage the development of additional services.

Legal Aid

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to ensure that the requirements of vulnerable people receiving services under the new Legal Services Commission contracts are met.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable people in society have access to quality, publicly-funded legal advice for family and social welfare issues. This is why we increased expenditure on Legal Help, which covers initial advice and assistance, from £176 million in 2008-09 to £200 million for 2009-10. We have also increased the number of acts of assistance provided from 595,000 in 2004-05 to over a million last year. During 2010-11, funding for advice and assistance will be maintained to ensure that people can continue to access the help they need.
	The new civil contracts will begin on 14 October 2010. One of the main changes made to advice provision under the new contract will be the requirement to provide services in housing, debt and welfare benefits holistically, under one contract. This will provide a more integrated service and meet clients' needs more effectively. Practitioners who do not currently provide all three services have the option of forming consortia to bid for this work.
	The tender process for social welfare law and family services opened on 26 February. Practitioners wishing to bid for new contracts can access procurement plans, detailing numbers of case starts available in specified geographical (procurement) areas, on the LSC website.
	If access problems arise during the life of the new contract, the LSC will take appropriate action-within budget-to encourage additional services.

Legal Costs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to publish his response to the Jackson review of litigation costs.

Bridget Prentice: We are very grateful to Lord Justice Jackson for his far reaching report, which makes significant recommendations for reducing costs in the civil justice system. We are now actively assessing the implications of Sir Rupert's principle recommendations. This is a substantial task and will inevitably take some time. However, we will announce our next steps once this initial analysis is completed.

Legal Costs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessors have spent in  (a) legal fees and  (b) compensation on legal cases concerning remuneration of its employees in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: Details of Legal Fees and Compensation paid on (and following) legal cases concerning remuneration of Ministry of Justice employees, excluding the National Offender Management Service, are shown for the last three financial years (and for 2009-10 to end of February 2010).
	
		
			  £ 
			   Legal Fees  Compensation  Total 
			 2007-08 35,596 3,203 38,799 
			 2008-09 67,145 232 67,377 
			 2009-10 77,437 54,670 132,107 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide details covering years before 2007-08 without incurring disproportionate costs.
	It has not been possible to provide information in answer to this question for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) without incurring disproportionate cost. Many prison establishments defend and settle their own cases locally and records of compensation paid or legal fees are not retained centrally.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of offending behaviour programmes are  (a) offered in each category of prison and  (b) assessed as suitable for offenders with learning (i) difficulties and (ii) disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Out of a total of 25 accredited offending behaviour and substance misuse programmes which are offered in different establishments within the prison estate:
	13 (52 per cent.) are offered in the category A estate (remand and sentenced);
	18 (72 per cent.) in local category B (remand and sentenced);
	12 (48 per cent.) in category B (sentenced);
	19 (76 per cent.) in category C (sentenced);
	5 (20 per cent.) in category D open and semi open (sentenced);
	11 (44 per cent. ) in YOIs;
	5 (20 per cent.) in the female estate.
	The security categories A, B, C, and D and local category B relate to establishments which hold adult male prisoners. Female establishments and those for young offenders are not categorised.
	Prisons which have been designed and built to accommodate prisoners up to a particular security category may hold prisoners of a lower category to enable the effective management of the estate, particularly where the establishment is fulfilling a number of functions. The predominant function of each establishment has been used in producing the figures above which may be subject to changes in delivery. The programmes which are offered cover four broad areas set against levels of offender risk and need, which address substance misuse, general offending behaviour, sexual and violent offending.
	In addition to accredited programmes there are a number of non accredited programmes which are approved locally to meet particular needs and other activities such as training, education, work, support and resettlement are offered to prisoners to help reduce the risk of re-offending.
	Further information on the delivery of accredited programmes across the estate can be found in the National Offender Management Service annual report 2008-09
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/noms-annual-report-08-09.htm
	Offending behaviour programmes accommodate a broad range of offenders. Where appropriate, prisons must make reasonable adjustments to ensure programmes are accessible to all those who could potentially benefit. If there are concerns for example about mental or physical health, intellectual ability, language, literacy, dyslexia, or disability then an assessment should be undertaken or specialist advice obtained to see if the particular deficits can be worked with within the programme. Participation on a particular programme will depend on the assessment and scale of the issues in an individual case. There may be more than one factor that precludes an individual from participating in a programme.
	Further work may be possible to prepare an individual, however there will be some offenders who are unable to participate due to the intensive nature and cognitive focus of the programmes. If a programme is not suitable then one to one work may be considered. If an individual is still unsuitable then other interventions or activities should be considered to meet their needs. Offending behaviour programmes are only element of National Offender Management Service work to address the risks and needs of offenders and reduce their risk of reoffending.

Prisons: Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for a new prison in East Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: On 27 October 2009,  Official Report, column 10WS, I announced a new search for sites capable of supporting 1,500 place prisons that would focus on those areas of greatest strategic need, specifically London, the north-west, North Wales, and West Yorkshire.
	No decision has yet been made about where these new prisons will be built. We hope to have a final shortlist of potential sites ready for publication by the summer. Before the publication of this shortlist, there will be a consultation with local Members of Parliament and planning authorities to achieve the most open and transparent process possible. A full public consultation will be conducted before any planning application for a prison is put in.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what guidance he issues to magistrates on the activation of suspended sentences of imprisonment where the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty during the period of suspension to the commission of a further  (a) non-imprisonable and  (b) imprisonable offence in circumstances where an imprisonable offence has previously been committed and the suspended sentence has not yet been activated;
	(2)  what guidance he has issued to magistrates on the activation of suspended sentences of imprisonment where the defendant is either found guilty or pleads guilty during the period of suspension to  (a) a breach of a requirement forming part of the suspended sentence,  (b) the commission of a non-imprisonable offence and  (c) the commission of an imprisonable offence.

Claire Ward: Suspended sentence orders were introduced in April 2005 to provide the courts with a tougher and more flexible suspended sentence as an alternative to immediate custody, where appropriate. It provides for the court both to suspend the custodial sentence and also to impose community requirements such as curfew, community payback and drug rehabilitation.
	The Government do not issue guidance to magistrates or judges on sentencing. The issuing of guidance is a matter for the Sentencing Guidelines Council. Breach of a suspended sentence order is governed by schedule 12 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Essentially, where an offender breaches a suspended sentence by failing to comply with a community requirement or by committing a further offence the presumption is that the suspended sentence will be activated, unless the court finds it would be unjust to do so. If it activates the suspended sentence the court can set a shorter term for the offender to serve if it wishes. If the court finds that it would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence it can keep the sentence suspended but amend the order to make the community requirements more onerous, or to extend the supervision or operational periods.

Victim Support Schemes: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on supporting victims of crime and witnesses who were party to proceedings at York  (a) magistrates court and  (b) Crown court in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; and how many victims of crime and witnesses were offered support in each such period.

Claire Ward: Data on supporting victims of crime and witnesses who were party to proceedings at court is not available prior to 2001-02. The data in 2001-02 relates to spending by Victim Support to provide support victims and witnesses of crime in court and is only available for York Crown court and the total of those supported in all magistrates courts in North Yorkshire. York magistrates court data was not available until Victim Support became a single charity in 2007.
	The following tables provide data for 2001-02 (earliest data available) and 2008/2009 (the latest year for which figures are available).
	
		
			  (i) 2001-02 
			   (a) All North Yorkshire  magistrates courts  (b) York Crown  co urt  only  Total 
			 Funding provided (£) 82,435 14,406 96,841 
			 People Supported 2,426 445 2,871 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) 2008-09 
			   (a) York City  magistrates court  only  (b)  York Crown  court  only  Total 
			 Funding provided (£) 25,841 28,586 54,427 
			 People Supported 868 1060 1928

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Credit

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely  (a) price and  (b) availability of credit to small businesses in the second quarter of 2010.

Rosie Winterton: The overall cost of finance for business is ultimately determined by the market, but is made of a number of factors, including the cost of funding for the banks, and the cost of risk and capital. BIS data shows the overall cost for SMEs was stable during the later part of 2009, and in general less than two years ago.
	Banks maintain that they have the capacity to meet the demand from viable businesses in the second quarter of 2010 and beyond, and the Government expects them to do so. BIS data shows that majority of applications from businesses for financial support continue to be approved.

Business: Government Assistance

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small businesses in each constituency in the East of England have applied for financial assistance under the  (a) Enterprise Finance Guarantee and  (b) Capital Enterprise scheme since inception; and how many such applications were granted.

Rosie Winterton: Under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, as of 10 February, 742 businesses in the East of England region have drawn down loans totalling £66.82 million. The figures for each individual constituency in the East of England region will be deposited in the Library of the House. Businesses may apply for a loan from any one of the participating lenders who will assess which form of lending, including the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, is most appropriate. We do not hold figures for those businesses which are instead offered a normal commercial loan, or are rejected for failing to meet the lender's commercial criteria.
	With respect to the Capital for Enterprise Fund equity scheme, CfEF received 57 inquiries from businesses in the East of England seeking investment to the value of £55.9 million. Thus far, although no businesses have received investment, two businesses have been offered investment totalling £3.3 million. Inquiries from eight businesses are being considered subject to further information to be supplied by the applicant. The remaining 47 inquiries have been rejected or withdrawn. I am not providing a breakdown by parliamentary constituency or local authority as this could make it possible to identify the individual companies that have received support.

Business: Government Assistance

William Bain: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Glasgow North East constituency have received support from the Government since 2008.

Rosie Winterton: Business support is devolved to the Scottish Executive. I suggest my hon. Friend writes to the Executive.

Business: Government Assistance

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in  (a) the North West,  (b) the City of Manchester and  (c) Manchester Central constituency have received financial assistance from his Department and its predecessor since December 2007.

Rosie Winterton: Since December 2007, a total of 293 businesses in the north-west have been awarded assistance from the Grant for Business Investment (GBI) and Grant for Research  Development (Grant for RD) schemes. Of this total, 23 businesses have been in the city of Manchester and 18 in the Manchester, Central constituency.

Business: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses there were in City of York  (a) unitary local authority area and  (b) constituency in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many businesses there were in the City of York (a) unitary local authority and (b) constituency in each year since 1997. (321727)
	Annual statistics on business counts are available for 2000 onwards from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	The table below contains the latest statistics available for business counts for York UA and City of York constituency.
	
		
			  Enterprise counts for York UA and the City of York Constituency 
			  Year  York UA  City of York 
			 2000 4,645 2,655 
			 2001 4,760 2,700 
			 2002 4,775 2,710 
			 2003 4,945 2,705 
			 2004 5,095 2,725 
			 2005 5,325 2,845 
			 2006 5,480 2,865 
			 2007 5,690 2,915 
			 2008 5,740 3,000 
			 2009 5,820 3,015

Departmental Consultants

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by  (a) his Department,  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and  (c) each other body sponsored by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.

Patrick McFadden: Central records indicate that the Department and its predecessors have spent the following on consultancy fees in the last five financial years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2009-10 (to end February) 10,773,864 
			 2008-09 22,059,657 
			 2007-08 17,221,768 
			 2006-07 31,020,555 
			 2005-06 41,607,166 
		
	
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	Further details, including provision of non-departmental public bodies and other bodies sponsored by the Department, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 16 March 2010:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to your question on how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each other body sponsored by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.
	The Insolvency Service an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisers since 2005:
	
		
			   Amount (£000) 
			 2005 11 
			 2006 26 
			 2007 0 
			 2008 244 
			 2009 (to 31 December 2009) 156 
		
	
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 10 March 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 23 February 2010, UIN 319150 to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisers in each since 2005:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 143,821 
			 2006-07 248,567 
			 2007-08 125,477 
			 2008-09 152,499 
		
	
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 26 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much was spent on external consultants and advisers in each year since 2005.
	Since April 2009, we have adopted the OGC definition of consultancy, namely advice related to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation in pursuit of its objectives. Prior to that date, our records do not distinguish between the various forms of consultants and contractors, for instance those carrying out research projects.
	We have spent £77,071.70 between April 2009 and December 2009 on external consultants and advisers as defined by OGC. Expenditure in previous years on consultancy using the wider definition that I have mentioned was:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2005/06 34,969.34 
			 2006/07 77,417.59 
			 2007/08 93,293.94 
			 2008/09 135,471.48 
		
	
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 25 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 23 February 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The amount spent on external consultants and advisors in each calendar year since 2005 is:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2005 24 
			 2006 357 
			 2007 54 
			 2008 117 
			 2009 105

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a detailed breakdown of his Department's expenditure on entertainment in each of the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 9 March 2010
	This Department spent the following amounts on entertainment from June 2009, when the Department was created:
	
		
			   £ 
			 June 2009 118,577 
			 July 2009 114,972 
			 August 2009 69,109 
			 September 2009 79,465 
			 October 2009 118,300 
			 November 2009 148,950 
			 December 2009 26,256 
			 January 2010 114,120 
			 February 2010 100,378 
		
	
	A further breakdown could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Exports: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies in Milton Keynes exported goods or services to  (a) other EU countries and  (b) non-EU countries in the last 12 months.

Ian Lucas: HM Revenue and Customs publishes a regional breakdown for trade in goods. The UK Trade Statistics for calendar year 2009 were published on 11 March 2010. The numbers of unique exporters for 2009, in the south-east, for EU and non-EU countries were 3,215 and 12,761 respectively.
	The UK Trade Statistics are provided at regional level so we are unable to confirm the numbers of companies for Milton Keynes.

Further Education: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average staff to student ratio is in  (a) York College and  (b) further education colleges in England.

Kevin Brennan: Information on staff to student ratios is not collected centrally.
	Information on the number of staff contracts is published in a report by Lifelong Learning UK, 'Further Education Workforce Data for England':
	http://www.lluk.org/sir-17-data-collection-fe-sector.htm
	Annex 2 gives information on the number of contracts for further education colleges in 2007-08.
	Information on the number of learners participating in further education is published in a quarterly statistical first release:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Greater Manchester

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Manchester, Gorton constituency, the effects on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/
	The Government have put in place a broad programme of reform since 1997. Over the decade to 2007, the economic performance of all parts of the UK has improved considerably. The global recession has had a negative impact on economic activity in all areas of the UK. However, the economy was starting from a position of strength and is actively supported by policies implemented by the Government, including the fiscal stimulus and a significant package of support for those out of work.
	In Gorton people are benefiting from this investment. At the start of 2010, total claimant count unemployment stood at 5.7 per cent., compared to 8.1 per cent. in May 1997; while long-term unemployment (more than 18 months) stood at 0.3 per cent. compared to 2.2 per cent. in May 1997.

Higher Education: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first year undergraduate places in universities the Government plan to fund in academic year 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Our grant letter to Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) this year confirmed additional teaching grant funding for the equivalent of an extra 10,000 full-time-equivalent places in 2010-11. We did not specify whether these Additional Student Numbers should be full or part time, undergraduate or postgraduate, but HEFCE estimate that this will result in around 4,000 additional HEFCE funded full-time first year entrants.
	Data on the 2010-11 student population, including the number of first year undergraduate entrants, will be published early in 2012.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of foreign students who  (a) were offered and  (b) accepted a place to study a degree course at university in academic year 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Non-UK domiciled UCAS applicants receiving degree offers/accepted to degree courses in the UK 
			  Domicile  Received main scheme offers  Accepted for entry 
			 Non-UK EU countries 30,783 23,103 
			 Non-UK other countries 40,255 31,992 
			 Total 71,038 55,095 
			  Source: UCAS 
		
	
	In the main scheme, each applicant can submit up to five choices (with the exception of courses in medicine/dentistry/veterinary medicine where only four choices are permitted). Each choice is for a different course. Based on the offers they receive from institutions, the applicant may choose one firm and one insurance choice. The offers stipulate the exam grades required, in addition to any non-academic conditions, in order for the applicant to be accepted on the course.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students who do not speak English as a first language  (a) were offered and  (b) accepted a place on a degree course at university for academic year 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information is not held centrally. Universities are autonomous bodies and set their own entry requirements. These will include assessment of competence in English language to ensure that students are able to benefit from their studies.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he made of the number of English domiciled part-time undergraduate students who received a full fee grant who studied  (a) between 30 and 49,  (b) between 50 and 59,  (c) between 60 and 74 and  (d) 75 per cent. or more of a full-time course in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Prior to 2000/01 there was no statutory financial support for part-time students. The current system of support was introduced in 2004; it comprises a course grant to help pay towards course costs such as books and travel and a fee grant to help pay towards fees.
	Fee grants are available to part-time students on courses of no less than 50 per cent. of an equivalent full-time course.
	
		
			  English domiciled students known to be awarded full part-time fee grants academic year 2008/09( 1) 
			  Intensity (percentage of equivalent full-time course)  Applicants known to be awarded full fee grants 
			 50% to 59% 5,300 
			 60% to 74% 1,900 
			 75% or more 4,400 
			 Total 11,600 
			 (1) Approved applicants awarded fee grants. Figures rounded to nearest 100.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate students who did not have a level 4 qualification on entry to their course in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: In the academic year 2008/09 there were 197,160 English-domiciled part-time undergraduate student enrolments who did not have a level 4 or above qualification on entry to their course at a UK higher education institution (including the Open university). There were 224,870 who did have a level 4 or above qualification on entry to their course and a further 35,465 whose qualification level on entry was unknown or missing.
	Of those with known highest qualification on entry, 47 per cent. did not have a level 4 or above qualification on entry to their course.
	Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate students  (a) with and  (b) without a level 4 qualification on entry to their course who studied (i) less than 30, (ii) between 31 and 49, (iii) between 50 and 59, (iv) between 60 and 74 and (v) 75 per cent. or more of a full-time course in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Statistics for 2008/09 are provided in the table. Figures are provided for part-time student enrolments as full-time equivalents. There were 144,005 full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolments at undergraduate level whose highest qualification on entry was known and a further 9,815 FTE undergraduates whose qualification level on entry was unknown or missing. The proportions provided in the table are based on those students with known highest qualification on entry information.
	
		
			  English-domiciled full-time equivalent undergraduate enrolments by level of qualification on entry UK higher education institutions. Academic year 2008/09 
			   With a Level 4 or higher qualification on entry  Without a Level 4 or higher qualification on entry 
			  Full-time equivalent (percentage)  Number  Proportion (percentage)  Number  Proportion (percentage) 
			 0-30 18,770 27 12,285 17 
			 31-49 11,785 17 10,920 15 
			 50-59 20,815 29 21,635 29 
			 60-74 8,700 12 12,230 17 
			 75+ 10,560 15 16,310 22 
			 Total 70,630 100 73,375 100 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are based on a Higher Education Statistics Agency Standard Registration Population. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five so components may not sum to totals. 3. Percentages are based on unrounded figures.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on  (a) fee and  (b) course grant payments for English-domiciled part-time students in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate students received a  (a) full and  (b) partial fee grant in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate students received a  (a) fee and  (b) course grant in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Prior to 2000/01 there was no statutory financial support for part-time students. The current system of support was introduced in 2004; it comprises a course grant to help pay towards course costs such as books and travel and a fee grant to help pay towards fees.
	
		
			  English domiciled students awarded part-time fee and course grants academic year 2008/09( 1) 
			   Students  Value (£ million) 
			 Fee Grant 52,900 35.8 
			 Course Grant 54,900 14.0 
			 (1) Table shows approved applicants rounded to nearest 100 and award entitlement amounts rounded to nearest £100,000.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data 
		
	
	There are three rates of maximum fee grant, which depend on the intensity of the course.
	
		
			  Grant level of English domiciled students awarded part-time fee grant. Academic year 2008/09( 1) 
			  Grant level  Students  Percentage of all awarded fee grant 
			 Full fee grant 11,600 22 
			 Partial fee grant 40,800 77 
			 Intensity not known 500 1 
			 (1) Table shows approved applicants rounded to nearest 100. (2) Students with a fee grant who had no intensity of study recorded on the statistical database. Therefore it could not be ascertained whether their level of grant was the maximum for their level of study.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data 
		
	
	It is estimated that around 10 per cent. of part-time students are awarded a fee grant, and around 10 per cent. are awarded a course grant. This is based on all part-time students, some of whom are not eligible for support. To be eligible for grants, a part-time student must be on a course of no less than 50 per cent. of an equivalent course and not already have a degree.

Higher Education: Standards

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings on university targets  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of his Department have attended.

David Lammy: Government remains committed to the long-term goal that 50 per cent. of young people should enter higher education. Alongside our aim of a greater diversity of learners, we want to continue to deliver widening participation and to equip both our future and existing workforce with the skills that globalisation and a knowledge economy demand.
	Higher education Initial Participation Rate is at 43 per cent. for 2007-08 (with 2008-09 figures to be published at end of March), so we are ahead of trajectory against our target indicator. There have been no recent meetings with Ministers or officials on this matter.

Non-profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list for each regional development agency (RDA) the total amount spent on  (a) start-up and  (b) support in respect of social enterprises in each of the last five years; and what percentage of each RDA budget this represented in each such year.

Rosie Winterton: RDAs recognise the value that social enterprises (SEs) bring as businesses providing significant economic benefits to regions while delivering social benefits and/or enhancing the environment.
	RDAs have various investment routes for supporting SEs, including funding through the social enterprise networks, direct investment into SEs, provision of social enterprise grants/voucher schemes, and development of mentoring schemes. From 2007/08, the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) has funded a four year programme to enable each of the nine RDAs to develop SE support across the country.
	The RDAs also deliver support for start-up and existing SEs through the Business Link service and regional Solutions for Business products, which are open and accessible to all businesses. To filter the information to obtain the 'type' of organisation that has received mainstream business support would incur disproportionate cost and as such the following data relate only to the support provided through projects and investments specifically directed at SEs. The RDAs expenditure on social enterprise start-ups cannot be separated from the support provided to established SEs.
	
		
			  Total amount spent on support of social enterprises 
			  £000 
			  RDA  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 AWM(1) 42 245 121 826 1,274 
			 EEDA 62 170 283 1,066 3,354 
			 EMDA 2,286 4,413 3,385 2,569 2,812 
			 LDA(2) n/a n/a n/a 476 740 
			 NWDA(3) 1,530 1,714 2,931 1,919 917 
			 ONE 172 200 190 247 326 
			 SEEDA(4) n/a 158 179 231 758 
			 SWRDA 288 245 520 736 974 
			 YF(5) n/a n/a 2,189 3,789 5,139 
			 (1) AWM: The figures are conservative estimates as data prior to 2007/08 do not include Business Link activity. Neither Business Link nor Social Enterprise West Midlands collected the requested data prior to April 2007. (2) LDA: Where figures are unavailable, this is because there was no funding directly attributable to supporting the social enterprise sector. However, there may have been funding for the sector in these years within mainstream LDA programmes which cannot be disaggregated. (3) NWDA: Business Link figures can not be provided prior to 2007/08, when their current provider began delivering the project. (4) SEEDA: Prior to 2005/06, Business Link was not managed by SEEDA and figures are not available. (5) YF: Did not hold the Business Link contract before 2006-07. YF are unable to provide figures for the funding that Business Link assigned to social enterprise support.

Non-profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many social enterprises were  (a) established in and  (b) assisted by each regional development agency in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: RDAs recognise the value that social enterprises (SEs) bring as businesses providing significant economic benefits to regions whilst delivering social benefits and/or enhancing the environment.
	RDAs have various investment routes for supporting SEs, including funding through the social enterprise networks, direct investment into SEs, provision of social enterprise grants/voucher schemes, and development of mentoring schemes. From 2007/08, the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) has funded a four year programme to enable each of the nine RDAs to develop SE support across the country.
	In addition, RDAs also deliver support for start-up and existing SEs through the Business Link service and regional Solutions for Business products, which are open and accessible to all businesses. As such, it is not always possible to differentiate between the start up and support of SEs from that of other businesses. Only projects that directly support or invest in SEs are reflected in the following data. In addition, it is not always possible for RDAs to disaggregate between SE start-ups and other SE support.
	The RDAs are only able to provide data on the number of social enterprises established over the past five years that have had direct contact with the RDAs.
	
		
			  RDA  Year  Total number of social enterprises established  Total number of social enterprises assisted 
			 AWM(1) 2004-05 - 5 
			  2005-06 - 14 
			  2006-07 - 9 
			  2007-08 - 640 
			  2008-09 - 540 
			 
			 EEDA(2) 2004-05 - 107 
			  2005-06 - 114 
			  2006-07 - 119 
			  2007-08 - 215 
			  2008-09 - 330 
			 
			 EMDA(3) 2004-05 - - 
			  2005-06 7 407 
			  2006-07 1 1,045 
			  2007-08 31 523 
			  2008-09 83 1,038 
			 
			 
			 LDA(4) 2004-05 - - 
			  2005-06 - - 
			  2006-07 - - 
			  2007-08 - 498 
			  2008-09 - 1,980 
			 
			 NWDA(5) 2004-05 134 - 
			  2005-06 54 - 
			  2006-07 60 - 
			  2007-08 57 108 
			  2008-09 49 610 
			 
			 ONE(6) 2004-05 4 10 
			  2005-06 3 0 
			  2006-07 8 72 
			  2007-08 69 561 
			  2008-09 181 488 
			 
			 SEEDA(7) 2004-05 - - 
			  2005-06 - - 
			  2006-07 - - 
			  2007-08 5 214 
			  2008-09 322 1,370 
			 
			 SWRDA(8) 2004-05 - 1 
			  2005-06 - 1 
			  2006-07 - 1 
			  2007-08 52 950 
			  2008-09 44 1,095 
			 
			 YF(9) 2004-05 66 143 
			  2005-06 57 180 
			  2006-07 48 554 
			  2007-08 12 617 
			  2008-09 110 1,221 
			 (1) AWM: The figures are conservative estimates as data prior to 2007/08 do not include Business Link (BL) activity. Neither BL nor Social Enterprise West Midlands collected the requested data prior to April 2007. (2) EEDA: EEDA is unable to disaggregate between 'established' and 'start-up' businesses. As such, the data provided refer to the total number of SEs assisted over the past five years. (3) EMDA: Data are unavailable for 2004/05 as this is prior to the introduction of the nationally agreed Tasking Framework. (4) LDA: Where figures are unavailable this is because there was no funding directly attributable to supporting the social enterprise sector. However, there may have been funding for the sector in these years within mainstream LDA programmes which cannot be disaggregated. (5) NWDA: Prior to 2007/08, the number of social enterprises assisted was not recorded separately on the tasking framework. Data provided for 2007/08 and 2008/09 are the combined outputs of NWDA and Business Link NW. BL NW was established in April 2007. (6) ONE: Figures prior to 2007/08 do not include BL services and therefore do not reflect the true figure of total number of SEs established and/or assisted. ONE is unable to provide BL figures prior to 2007/08 when their current provider began delivering the project. (7) SEEDA: Business Link was not managed by SEEDA in 2004/05, and although SEEDA did manage BL in 2005/06 and 2006/07 the data required was not recorded. The new BL contract came into force on 1 April 2007 and from then reporting requirements changed. (8) SWRDA: The South West RDA supports the regional social enterprise network, and the numbers recorded relate to the regional social enterprise network and to the support provided through BL providers. The South West RDA does not collect data on individual social enterprises supported. Contracts with our current BL providers started in 2007, so data for BL assisted businesses is not available before this. (9) YF: Figures provided before 2008/09 do not include beneficiary data from BL as this predates the current BL provider. The figures provided for 2008/09 have not compared beneficiary data collected by BL and YF separately as this would incur disproportionate cost.

Pay: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much on average  (a) men and  (b) women in full-time employment in Milton Keynes were paid each week (i) in 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available (A) in cash terms and (B) at constant prices.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how much on average  (a) men and  (b) women in full-time employment in Milton Keynes were paid each week (i) in 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available (A) in cash terms and (B) at constant prices. (321877)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach a table showing the median gross weekly earnings for male full-time and female full-time employees for the Milton Keynes unitary authority area for the years 1997 and 2009, the earliest and latest periods for which figures are available. The all-items Retail Prices Index for April of each year has been used to calculate the equivalent constant price estimates.
	
		
			  Median gross weekly  earnings (£)-for full-time male and female employee jobs( a) : Milton Keynes 1997 and 2009 
			   1997 cash  1997 at 2009 prices( b)  2009 
			 Male Full-time 399 540 578 
			 Female Full-time *278 377 *441 
			  Notes: (a) Full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. As at April of each year. (b) Deflated using all items RPI for April of each year  Guide to quality The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.  Key * CV5% and= 10%  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. 1997 and 2009

Personal Income: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time  (a) men,  (b) women and  (c) people in York were (i) in 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available (A) in cash terms and (B) at constant prices.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply. The letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Physics: Higher Education

Brian Iddon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse per physics undergraduate was allocated to universities in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: This information is not held in the form requested. The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) teaching grant to institutions reflects the additional costs associated with particular subjects. It places each subject into four price bands from A to D, with A attracting the highest level of grant. Physics along with other laboratory-based subjects is in price group B. The rate of grant per full-time equivalent undergraduate in this price group was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005/06 4,959 
			 2006/07 5,126 
			 2007/08 5,291 
			 2008/09 5,484 
			 2009/10 5,425 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures do not equate to the total public contribution to each student.

Students: Radicalism

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has allocated funding to combating Islamic extremism in educational establishments in 2009-10.

David Lammy: The amount of funding allocated to Preventing Violent Extremism and promoting cohesion in further and higher education by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for financial year 2009-10 is £1.1 million.

Unemployment: Wellingborough

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the number of young people in  (a) Wellingborough constituency and  (b) the UK who are not in employment, education or training.

Kevin Brennan: Due to small sample sizes, we cannot provide robust estimates of young people not in employment, education or training for geographical areas smaller than local education authorities. Therefore we are unable to provide estimates for parliamentary constituency areas.
	England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have different measures of people not in employment, education and training, therefore we are unable to produce an estimate for the UK as a whole.
	The number of young people not in employment, education or training in England is published by DCSF every quarter. The latest information can be found here:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000890/NEETQtrBriefQ32009.pdf
	Figures for other UK countries can be obtained from the relevant devolved administrations.

Weather: Industry

John Thurso: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the contribution to the economy of the private weather sector.

Ian Lucas: There has been no estimation of the contribution to the economy of the private weather sector. The most recent standard industrial classification system, from 2007, as well as past systems, do not separately classify the weather sector, and therefore no official data is available specifically for the weather sector.